There are 30 men to stitch the cloth | Photo: Soniya Agarwal | ThePrint
There are 30 men to stitch the cloth | Photo: Soniya Agarwal | ThePrint
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Surat: Looms across Surat are grinding back to life as the textile industry resumes work during the lockdown.

The industry, which generates approximately Rs 80,000 crore, is the second-largest income generator in Surat.

It’s not business as usual given the restrictions, and the constant shadow of rising infections in the state and country.

Gujarat currently has the second highest number of cases and Covid-19 deaths in India, after Maharashtra.

Many individual manufacturers have adapted to the change in demand, and switched to making products that are the need of the hour. One such unit is Suneja Fashion Fabrics and Lifestyles, owned by Mukesh Suneja.

What was previously a garment design and stitching unit has now transformed into a personal protective equipment (PPE) manufacturing unit. Here, the raw cloth for making PPE overalls is procured from the manufacturers and then, using machines, cut into the shape of a human body.

ThePrint’s reporters Soniya Agrawal and Swagata Yadavar bring you some pictures from the factory, which produces 500 PPE kits every day for those on the frontline of the battle against Covid-19.

Once the stitching is done, the overall is sent to another team for inspection. Here the team looks for any loose threads or knots that they can trim out. Any spots on the cloth are also sanitised and cleaned | Photo: Soniya Agarwal | ThePrint
The process works in parts, with some cutting out the pieces while others stitch them together. The garment is then inspected by another team | Soniya Agarwal | ThePrint
After stitching the seams of the bodysuit it is then passed on to others to add the elastics, zips and the hoods for the head | Photo: Soniya Agarwal | ThePrint
Two tailors stitch the seams of the bodysuit before it is passed on to another pair of hands that adds the elastic, zips and the hood | Soniya Agarwal | ThePrint
Yogita Patel, a 35 year old from the nearby district of Mehsana, spends 8 hours threading. She says she has a family of four amd working at the factory has helped feeding her family during Covid times | Photo: Soniya Agarwal | ThePrint
Yogita Patel, a 35-year-old from the nearby district of Mehsana, spends eight hours a day threading. Working at the factory has helped her feed her family of four during the pandemic | Soniya Agarwal | ThePrint
Once the stitching is done, the overall is sent to another team for inspection. Here the team looks for any loose threads or knots that they can trim out. Any spots on the cloth are also sanitised and cleaned | Photo: Soniya Agarwal | ThePrint
Another team meticulously scans the garment for any loose threads or knots that they can trim. Any spots on the cloth are also cleaned and sanitised | Soniya Agarwal | ThePrint
The full PPE suit | Photo: Soniya Agarwal | ThePrint
The final result of the PPE bodysuit | Soniya Agarwal | ThePrint
The labourers at the factory work for 13 hours a day, they produce 250 pieces in a day | Photo: Sonia Agarwal | ThePrint
The labourers work for 13 hours a day, during which they also produce 250 masks | Soniya Agarwal | ThePrint
The company has also started it’s own line of designer masks | Photo: Soniya Agarwal | ThePrint
The company uses colourful fabric to create its own line of ‘designer’ masks | Soniya Agarwal | ThePrint

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