Industrial production losses pegged at Rs 5k cr

AHMEDABAD: Along with everyday activities, the "very severe cyclonic storm" Biparjoy, which made landfall on the Gujarat coast late on Thursday night, wreaked havoc on industry and left a trail of devastation.
While ports shut operations, heavy rain in seven districts hampered industrial production, uprooted trees and flooded highways and roads bringing logistics to a standstill. Industrial trade worth about Rs 5,000 crore has been halted, according to estimates by the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI).
Power disruptions due to fallen electricity poles and transmission pylons are clouding the resumption of industrial activity in affected areas. The Saurashtra-Kutch region has clusters of several industries such as textiles, ceramics, brass parts, engineering, ports, logistics, industrial salt manufacturing and others. "Teams of Paschim Gujarat Vij Company Limited (PGVCL) are working to restore power connections in the area. However, looking at the damage suffered, it will be at least a few days till power connections are fully restored and industrial operations can resume," said Tegji Kangad, president of the Gandhidham Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
"With ports and logistics completely halted, a lot of cargo has been held up, both inward and on dispatch. This also affects industrial activity," Kangad added. The transport sector has been gravely affected with about 10,000 trucks getting stranded en route to the ports of Kandla and Mundra, both of which have been closed since Tuesday as a precaution.