Sangrur, Oct. 7 -- : A three-day state-wide strike by outsourced workers of Verka, starting Monday onwards, raised concerns over Punjab's daily dairy supply. The protest, led by the Verka Milk Plant Contract Mulazam Union Punjab, demands regularisation of thousands of contractual employees who claim to handle over 90% of operations across Verka's plants. According to Milkfed data, of the approximately 6,000 sanctioned posts, only 700-800 are filled with regular staff, leaving the rest to be managed by outsourced workers. Union president Pawandeep Singh warned that the strike could halt the supply of 12 lakh litres of milk daily, potentially causing a loss of Rs.10-15 crore over three days. "If our demands are not met, we will escalate the protest," he said. However, Milkfed MD Rahul Gupta dismissed the claim of a shutdown, saying that all 14 Verka plants are operational. "We cannot afford to miss any packet to anybody under the Essential Commodities Act. In some plants, 30 to 40 percent of the outsourced workers came to work, and in others, 95 percent of them came to work. They know the reality," he said. On the issue of vacancies, Gupta accused the union of blocking the legal recruitment process. "These people are not letting us advertise for the posts. They want to avoid the test and secure a backdoor entry, which is not justifiable as per law. We even told them that we would give them extra marks for the exam but they won't listen," he said....