Maruti among 10 industries allowed to reopen in Gurugram

The auto giant, which manufactures about 15.5 lakh cars of 16 different models every year, had shut its plants at Udyog Vihar and Manesar on March 22. In Gurugram district, the company has at least nine dealers but they will continue to remain shut due to ongoing lockdown.

The Haryana government on Wednesday granted permission to auto major Maruti Suzuki India to resume operations at its Manesar plant. It also allowed nine other industries to reopen after their applications were approved by a district-level committee amid the nationwide lockdown imposed to contain the Covid-19 outbreak.

Gurugram: A view of the Maruti Suzuki plant in Manesar near Gurugram. (PTI)

Though the production at the Maruti plant is still on hold, the district administration has allowed the company to resume maintenance at the Manesar plant on a single-shift basis. It has granted permission for only 600 employees and 50 vehicles to operate. The company, however, was not granted permission to resume operation at its other plants located in Gurugram and Manesar, the labour department said. Amit Khatri, deputy commissioner, Gurugram, said, “The company will not start production, as permission has been granted for limited persons and the maintenance of the Manesar plant.”

The auto giant, which manufactures about 15.5 lakh cars of 16 different models every year, had shut its plants at Udyog Vihar and Manesar on March 22. In Gurugram district, the company has at least nine dealers but they will continue to remain shut due to ongoing lockdown.

RC Bhargava, the chairman of the company, said, “The government has issued permission as per the guidelines of the ministry of home affairs. But to start the production of cars, we need a continuous supply of parts and then a channel to sell cars. The production can’t start till these things are sorted out. We can’t say when will that be because the situation changes every day.”

A senior executive of the company, who did not wish to be named, said that in March 2019, the company had sold 1.58 lakh cars. Last month till March 22, 84,000 cars had been sold and there were no sales in April.

At the Gurugram and Manesar plants, there are over 20,000 workers and they work in two shifts of 10,000 to 11,000 each.