The micro and small-scale industries in Coimbatore district have appealed to the Collector to permit government buses to operate so that workers can come from other districts.
In a memorandum submitted to Collector K. Rajamani on Thursday, 19 industrial associations said bus services should be resumed so that workers employed in the micro and small-scale industries could return to Coimbatore from their home towns. They had all left Coimbatore when the lockdown was enforced. They were losing their wages as they were stranded in other districts. The micro and small-scale industry owners did not have resources to engage private vehicles, get e-passes and bring back these workers. Hence, the government should restart operation of buses, the associations said.
Representatives of these industries also appealed to the Collector to intervene and ensure that the micro and small-scale industries got the collateral free loans that the Union Finance Minister announced recently. The banks here reiterated that they had not received guidelines to disburse the loans. If the industries were unable to get financial support at the right time, they would not be able to sustain operations.
Further, the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) was collecting Disconnection-Reconnection charges and Belated Payment Surcharge though the government had stated that these would not be collected. They appealed to the Tangedco not to collect these charges from the micro and small-scale units.
