In the latest order, the government has given the green signal for industries in Pimpri-Chinchwad to start working with staff from the area and with 33 per cent strength.
Bringing relief to industries in Pimpri-Chinchwad, the state government has allowed them to start operations with 33 per cent strength. An official notification in this regard was issued by Ajoy Mehta, chief secretary of the state, on Thursday.
Since May 2, the Maharashtra government has allowed industries in rural parts of Pune to reopen. So, companies in the MIDC areas of Ranjangaon, Chakan and Kurkumbh had restarted work while making special arrangements for transporting their employees. The guidelines had prohibited employees from travelling in the containment zones of both Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.
However, no leeway was given to industries, especially the small and medium scale industries, in Pimpri-Chinchwad due to the rising number of coronavirus cases there.
More than 4,000 small and medium scale industries are present in the MIDC and non-MIDC areas of Bhosari, Chinchwad and Pimpri, which provide employment to more than 5-6 lakh people. These units generally work as vendors and sub-vendors of automotive giants located in other parts of the district.
Sandeep Belsare, president of the small and medium scale industries association of Pimpri-Chinchwad, had pressed for the reopening of units. Besides Municipal Commissioner Shravan Hardikar, the association had met Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and others to highlight their cause. The continued closure, Belsare and others said, had put the existence of the sector at risk. Also, retention of labour was another problem for the units. The association had asked the government to allow units located in non-containment zones to start operations.
In the latest order, the government has given the green signal for industries in Pimpri-Chinchwad to start working with staff from the area and with 33 per cent strength. The order specifies that employees should be transported through dedicated private transport or private four-wheelers.
Welcoming this order, Belsare said the formalities for opening should be made easy and quick. “…We feel the existing system should be used to grant permission to units,” he said.