CHENNAI: The state cabinet which met under chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Saturday endorsed the Centre’s decision to extend the nationwide lockdown till May 17 in the state, but announced a raft of relaxations for non-containment zones from Monday. Industrial establishments in SEZs, export units, IT and IT-enabled services shall operate across the state, and all industries, including textile units, shall operate from May 6 in rural and town panchayat areas, subject to certain conditions.
The announcement came after a three-hour meet at the secretariat. “District collectors/Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner may make arrangements and permit industries to start operation from May 6. The state government will monitor the spread of the virus and will announce further relaxations when infection rate comes down,” the CM said.
Skilled workers such as plumbers, electricians, AC mechanics, carpenters, home care providers and domestic helps will require permission from Chennai Corporation commissioner/collector to resume work. The state said its relaxation norms, including those covering operation of industries, shall work within the scope of the moderation specified by the Centre for red, orange and green zones. In non-containment zones of Chennai, industries have to arrange own vehicles for transporting staff. “A careful analysis has been done in terms of risk factors, areas where opening up could lead to spread and where we need to be careful. The state is well within the limits set by the Centre and we looked at other states too. In the present circumstance, this is the best that could happen,” said an expert committee member. Medical experts had told the government that lockdown had served its purpose and phased exit was the way forward.
E-passes for employees and organisations can be got through web portal, https://tnepass.tnega.org. Sources said the government considered two options for defining the regulations 426sqkm-wide Chennai Corporation limit and 1,189sqkm-wide Chennai Metropolitan Area limit. But it finally zeroed in on Greater Chennai police jurisdiction that ends with Muttukadu in the densely-populated south Chennai.
MSME sector, rural industries and standalone shops require no special permission from the government to resume operation. Tamil Nadu Small and Tiny Industries Association joint secretary S Vasudevan welcomed the move. “Most of our requests have been considered by the government. Clear standard operating procedure need to be circulated and movement of employees could be allowed with self-declaration by the employer with address and ID proof. Getting permission from district industries centres will be practically difficult for MSMEs, ” he said.
The Madras Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Ramkumar Ramamoorthy said the state government had taken a cautious-yet-pragmatic approach to relax the guidelines for most categories. “These relaxations will enable industries to slow-crank operations with limited person-power, and in a calibrated fashion, ready themselves for broad-based operations in the weeks and months ahead,” he said.
The announcement came after a three-hour meet at the secretariat. “District collectors/Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner may make arrangements and permit industries to start operation from May 6. The state government will monitor the spread of the virus and will announce further relaxations when infection rate comes down,” the CM said.
Skilled workers such as plumbers, electricians, AC mechanics, carpenters, home care providers and domestic helps will require permission from Chennai Corporation commissioner/collector to resume work. The state said its relaxation norms, including those covering operation of industries, shall work within the scope of the moderation specified by the Centre for red, orange and green zones. In non-containment zones of Chennai, industries have to arrange own vehicles for transporting staff. “A careful analysis has been done in terms of risk factors, areas where opening up could lead to spread and where we need to be careful. The state is well within the limits set by the Centre and we looked at other states too. In the present circumstance, this is the best that could happen,” said an expert committee member. Medical experts had told the government that lockdown had served its purpose and phased exit was the way forward.
E-passes for employees and organisations can be got through web portal, https://tnepass.tnega.org. Sources said the government considered two options for defining the regulations 426sqkm-wide Chennai Corporation limit and 1,189sqkm-wide Chennai Metropolitan Area limit. But it finally zeroed in on Greater Chennai police jurisdiction that ends with Muttukadu in the densely-populated south Chennai.
MSME sector, rural industries and standalone shops require no special permission from the government to resume operation. Tamil Nadu Small and Tiny Industries Association joint secretary S Vasudevan welcomed the move. “Most of our requests have been considered by the government. Clear standard operating procedure need to be circulated and movement of employees could be allowed with self-declaration by the employer with address and ID proof. Getting permission from district industries centres will be practically difficult for MSMEs, ” he said.
The Madras Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Ramkumar Ramamoorthy said the state government had taken a cautious-yet-pragmatic approach to relax the guidelines for most categories. “These relaxations will enable industries to slow-crank operations with limited person-power, and in a calibrated fashion, ready themselves for broad-based operations in the weeks and months ahead,” he said.
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