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Greater Noida allows 356 industries, 91 housing projects to resume operations; 36,000 workers to be engaged
Amid some relaxations in the ongoing Covid-19 lockdown, the Greater Noida authority has allowed 356 industrial units and 91 housing projects in the city to resume
Amid some relaxations in the ongoing Covid-19 lockdown, the Greater Noida authority has allowed 356 industrial units and 91 housing projects in the city to resume their operations. Authority officials said that these commercial activities will be able to engage thousands of skilled workers and construction labourers.
In 356 industrial units, a total of 24,220 employees will get work, while 12,186 labourers will be engaged in work at the various construction sites, the officials said. The authority hopes that allowing construction projects to resume work would help stop migration of labourers to some extent.
“We have issued permission to the industrial units and housing projects to resume work as per the guidelines issued by the state government. We have rejected permission to those entities, which do not fulfil the laid down norms. The move is likely to engage construction labourers and skilled workforce,” said Narendra Bhooshan, chief executive officer of Greater Noida authority.
Of 1,105 industrial units, which had applied, 749 were rejected permission to operate as they did not fulfil the conditions mentioned in the guidelines of the state government, said the authority officials.
The industrial units have been told to properly sanitize their premises before starting operations, and they will have follow all standard operating procedures and social distancing norms. If any unit fails to adhere to norms, then it will be shut immediately and action will be initiated against the company, the officials said.
Similarly, the real estate developers will have to sanitize their respective sites before resuming construction works. The developers can resume construction at those sites only where labourers are staying.
Pankaj Singh, president of Greater Noida industry association, said that those industry owners who have got permission are engaged in the task of opening up their respective units.
“Resuming operations after the closure of one-and-a-half months is not easy as it takes time to arrange workers and restart machines. Besides, the industries will have to face problems with restrictions at Noida-Delhi borders because many workers travel between the two cities. It will take time to come to normalcy,” Singh said.
According to the officials, there are at least 60,000 migrant workers and dependent people, who are staying in Greater Noida.
“If the migrant workers get jobs and food, then they will not need to go to their hometowns. We aim to allow operations at as many industrial units and construction sites, which want to resume work following social distancing norms,” said another authority official, requesting anonymity.
