Appoint Covid monitors in factories, bizmen told

Ludhiana: In a move aimed at checking Covid-19 cases in factories, the district industries centre (DIC) on Tuesday ordered them to appoint Covid monitors.
The job of the Covid monitor will be to ensure full compliance of the safety norms inside the units.
Ludhiana DIC general manager Mahesh Khanna said, “As per the directions of the Ludhiana district magistrate, each factory should appoint at least one Covid monitor. S(he) will be responsible for compliance of Covid rules and guidelines in the unit which would include wearing of mask by each employee, proper social distancing, arrangements for hand sanitization and thermal scanning of everyone entering the unit. Besides, (s)he should be vigilant, report about viral symptoms to authorities and ensure strict compliance of self-isolation by positive patient’s contacts.”
Khanna added, “The monitor’s appointment should be ensured by all the industrial units at the earliest. If the monitors fail to follow the rules, action will be taken against them. And in case of good work, they may be rewarded. All factories must fill a simple proforma issued by DIC and submit it at the earliest.”
Businessmen said they already were acting in accordance with the rules.
Atul Saggar, general secretary of Apparel Manufacturers’ Association, Ludhiana, said, “We appreciate the decision taken by the DIC. It will not be difficult to comply with it, as ever since we started operating our units, we have been ensuring all safety measures there. Moreover, we already have deputed persons to strictly check the compliance of rules. Now, we just have to send the name and the contact details of the Covid monitor.”
Narinder Mittal, general secretary of Ludhiana Business Forums, said, “We are already complying with these guidelines. But at the same time, the authorities should also make sure that no industrialist is harassed unnecessarily on the pretext of conducting checks at industrial units.”