Ludhiana, March 30, 2020: Federation of Industries & Commercial Organisation (FICO) has strongly opposed the decision of the Punjab government to allow industry to operate and requested Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to take back the decision with immediate effect.
FICO said the country is under lockdown for 21 days to save the nation from coronavirus and the state of Punjab is under curfew and countries like US, Italy, Spain and France are facing the consequences of not implementing lock down in the initial phase.
K.K. Seth, Chairman, Harjit Singh Sondh, Vice Chairman, Gurmeet Singh Kular, President, Rajeev Jain, General Secretary & Team FICO said the decision of the Punjab government is impractical, irresponsible, dangerous and unjustifiable due to the following facts:
1. Allowing the industry to operate either means the menace of the COVID-19 is over, and we are living in a safe atmosphere, or we are ready to put the lives of Punjabis at the stake?
2. Ludhiana predominantly has small scale industry & labour intensive industry. They do not have proper arrangements in the normal days, how can you expect special arrangements in such critical time?
3. Generally, the industries in Ludhiana have two or three bathrooms/toilets used by labourers, how can we expect them to be hygienic enough to ensure the cleanliness for hundreds of labourers.
4. How can the labourers maintain a gap of minimum 1 meter with each other (social distancing), when we all are aware of their behavior. It is to be mentioned that we operate with human labours not robots, that we expect them to be punctual?
5. How will industrialists get medical teams in their premises in the period of curfew?
6. Not to mention the present situation of medical facilities in Punjab, the hospitals like PGI, DMC are always running to their capacity, one cannot get a bed in general days, and if COVID-19 spreads, how we will be able to provide medical facilities?
Further, Kular said, “Fortunately things are very much controlled in Punjab only due to the strict measures followed, but allowing the industries to operate is totally impractical in this hour of crisis. But if we let the industry operate, there will be a corona bomb explosion and the situation will become uncontrollable in Punjab and will CII & CICU be held responsible? Are we ready to risk the lives of millions in Punjab?”
He said, “This is a very crucial time and Indian & Punjab government have so far contained the COVID-19 very well, we need to understand that the 21-day lockdown is for a purpose and we should all hold our hands at this time and unite, it is our moral responsibility to make our teams aware and ask them to stay safe and stay inside. Running the units now is impractical and government should immediately revoke the decision.”
All other association members including Manjinder Singh President BRADO & Narinder Bhamra CEO LETS & President of Fasteners Association of India strongly oppressed the decision of CII & CICU.
On March 29, the decision to keep the industry operating in Punjab was taken.