E-Paper
100 commercial units closed in Chandigarh’s industrial area
The UT administration on Thursday shut down around 100 commercial establishments, other than industrial units, in the industrial area of Phases 1 and 2.
The UT administration on Thursday shut down around 100 commercial establishments, other than industrial units, in the industrial area of Phases 1 and 2.
A team led by director industries Harjit Singh Sandhu, accompanied by the police, closed down hardware shops, iron sheet traders, electronic goods warehouses and electronic shops. Sheds of scrap dealers were also closed down.
Sandhu said, “As per the guidelines issued by the Union home ministry on May 1 regarding the opening of industrial units in a red zone outside the containment zones, these shops cannot be allowed to remain open in an industrial area.”
Only industrial units are allowed to remain open in an industrial estate, with strict access control, added Sandhu.
City BJP industrial cell convener Avi Bhasin, who intervened on behalf of the commercial establishments, said, “All shops that have been closed are service providers to the industrialists. These are purely business to business establishments and not retail outlets. Without their services, industries cannot function. This is a clear case miscommunication and misinterpretation of the MHA guidelines.”
City BJP chief Arun Sood took up the issue with the UT administration and said that hopefully a solution will soon be found.
ACCESS CONTROL
Meanwhile, local industrialists complained that even though the administration had designated six access points for the two industrial areas, no screening was being done of the people entering inside. There are three access points each for industrial phases 1 and 2.
Industrialists expressed particular concern about the people coming from sectors and colonies, parts of which have been notified as containment zones.
