Industry begins operations in mixed land-use areas in Ludhiana, may gain momentum from Monday

The micro and small industry is relieved that now it will not have to bear the fixed expenses, including salaries to the workers and electricity bills, with their units closed

Heaving a sigh of relief, the industry in mixed land-use areas started operations on Friday.

Labourers working in an industry at Gill Road in Ludhiana on Friday. (Gurpreet Singh/HT)

A majority of industrialists are currently working to lubricate the machinery and sanitise the establishments as the units have remained shut for at least two months but the operations are expected to gain momentum from Monday

The micro and small industry is relieved that now it will not have to bear the fixed expenses, including salaries of workers and electricity bills, with their units closed.

Around 50,000 units are situated in mixed land use and non-designated areas of the city, which mostly include cycle parts and hosiery units. As per information, the micro/tiny industries in these areas constitute about 50% of the industrial set-up in the district, and employ about 5-6 lakh workers.

President of the Janta Nagar Small Scale Manufacturers Association (JNSSMA) Jaswinder Thukral said, “The industry in mixed land-use areas has slowly started coming back on track and production will pick up pace in 3-4 days. Hailing the decision of the state government, Thukral said this will also stop the movement of labour out of the city.”

“The labourers are leaving the city due to lack of work, but now at least the industrial labourers will not move out as the industries in both designated and mixed land-use areas have commenced operations,” said Thukral.

President of the Knitwear and Textile Club Vinod Thapar said, “The hosiery industry has suffered a loss of around Rs 1,000 crore due to the lockdown and the state government has permitted the industry to open at the right time, as now they will be able to manufacture the products for winter.”

President of the Federation of Industrial and Commercial Organisations (FICO) Gurmeet Singh Kular and president of the Chamber of Industrial and Commercial Undertakings (CICU) Upkar Ahuja said it was also a relief for the large industry, which would not have been able to operate for long in the absence of micro and small units in mixed land use areas. They said many of the units in mixed land-use areas do the labour job for large industries. This way, the industry would also be able to retain its labour, which was moving out in large numbers, they added.