Manufacturing units, supply chain partners can operate during lockdown: Ranjan

Hyderabad: The Telangana Government, while formulating the lockdown guidelines, has worked to ensure that there is minimal disruption to industrial activities. While the focus is on breaking the Covid chain by reducing the movement of people, there are no restrictions on the companies to reduce the number of shifts or the employees, said Industries principal secretary Jayesh Ranjan.

However, the companies should use their discretion to ensure that there is as less movement of people. The companies, in this direction, can look to provide a common transport service to the employees. He suggested the companies can consider hiring buses from the RTC as they are not plying due to lockdown, he said in a virtual interaction organised by industry body FTCCI to seek clarity on lockdown guidelines.

In most cases, the company’s identity card would suffice to justify the movement during the lockdown hours. However, it will help if the respective industrial units inform the local police about the movement of special vehicles, the number of people travelling in them and the route they will travel.

“If we have imposed a lockdown, it means the movement is restricted. The company should bring only those employees who are needed for continuing the manufacturing activities. They can follow a rotation method and rationalise the number of people coming as well as the number of shifts,” he said adding that the companies, wherever possible, should accommodate the employees in the company premises to reduce their movement on the roads.

Ranjan explained that those stakeholders part of a particular supply chain can also operate without any special permission. However, those needing to travel inter-district or interstate have to apply for an e-pass.

Many industrial units are already operating on a skeletal structure due to some of the staff getting affected due to Covid, some not attending due to fear, some migrant labour going back to their native places, rise in raw material places and so on, the official said. Also, those units that need oxygen and other industrial gases have cut their operations due to their non-availability. The facilities are being used to make medical grade oxygen, he said.

“We will review the situation on May 20. I will not be surprised if the lockdown is extended further. You be prepared for the lockdown to be extended,” the official hinted on the possibilities.

On a query on Government support if the lockdown extended further, Ranjan said that the Government, like it did last year, will extend the dates for statutory payments and will look to extend some discounts or concessions for aspects under its control.

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