Only a handful of states have eased norms allowing production to resume
Despite an extension in the nationwide lockdown until May 3, certain states have eased the lockdown conditions providing a breather to some industries.
Apollo Tyres, India’s second-largest tyre producer, is one such beneficiary. One of its plants based in Kerala has resumed partial production from April 21.
The Delhi-based company announced a partial resumption of operations of its plant situated in Perambra, Kerala even as three other of its plants remain shut.
Defying the guidelines set by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the government of Kerala relaxed lockdown restrictions two days ago following which the Centre expressed its disapproval.
Kerala relaxed restrictions in Green (Kottayam and Idukki) and Orange-B (Alappuzha, Thiruvananthapuram, Palakkad) zones. Kozhikode district remains in the severest Red zone. Perambra falls in Kozhikode district.
A similar easing of restrictions was seen in the hill state Uttarakhand which is home to several automotive companies. Factories in Pantnagar and Rudrapur were given the green signal to restart production.
Bajaj Auto confirmed it has got the state nod to commence production from its Pantnagar plant though it makes products only for the domestic market. Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra and Ashok Leyland also have factories in Uttarakhand.
While the Haridwar factory that makes Bolero and Scorpio remains shut, the Rudrapur plant which makes tractors have started operations for Mahindra & Mahindra. However, it will still take a couple of days to roll out vehicles for all the companies.
Uttarakhand has reported zero coronavirus-related deaths so far. There have been 46 cases reported from across the state out of 18 have recovered, as per data shared by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
The picture in the rest of the auto hubs across the country remains grim. On April 20, Tamil Nadu suspended all relaxations to the restriction imposed by the Centre and said that the lockdown will continue until May 3. Tyre maker Ceat and carmaker Hyundai had approached the state authorities seeking permission to restart production.
Similarly, Maharashtra suspended easing of restrictions following violations of norms in Mumbai and Pune. The entire state, including auto manufacturing areas like Chakan, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Ranjangaon, Nashik and Aurangabad has been put under curfew.
Maharashtra has the highest number of COVID-19 positive cases in the country with 5,200 cases (26 percent of the national tally) and 251 deaths (40 percent of the national tally).
Other areas like Gurugram and Manesar in Haryana which houses plants of Maruti Suzuki and Hero MotoCorp remain shut. As of April 21, Haryana reported a total of 254 coronavirus cases out of which 127 recovered and 3 passed away.Time to show-off your poker skills and win Rs.25 lakhs with no investment. Register Now!
