Long blackouts cut into profit: Auto parts’ makers

Ludhiana: Auto parts manufacturers of the city are reeling under pressure due to power cuts in the state. According to businessmen, they already were suffering due to rise in raw material rates and the high rates of GST on their sector but with power outages becoming order of the day, the situation has become more worse for them as they are unable to carry on the productions smoothly.
According to Nitin Sharma, executive member of the Auto Parts Manufacturers Association, “The rate of all kinds of raw material used by the auto parts industry have risen sharply during past three to four months and it is unlikely that the rates will reduce in the coming months. Due to this hike, our cost of production has increased by huge percentage and our profits have been totally wiped off but as we have no other options, we are running our factories. But adding to our woes, the long power cuts have hit our industry badly and we are unable to carry on with the productions and thereby suffering further losses”
According to Jaswinder Singh Thukral, president of Janta Nagar Small Scale Manufacturers Association, “The power cuts are wreaking havoc on us, as the factories that were surviving on sale of scrap from production are unable to operate at nominal capacity to break even. It is our request to the state government and Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) to take stock of the situation and ensure uninterrupted power supply to industry.”
According to Harsh Kumar, another auto parts manufacturer, “The situation will change for us only if we get the regular power supply and therefore authorities must do something.”