Industries and commercial establishments outside the containment zones in Tirupattur district would start functioning from Wednesday after obtaining necessary permission from the tahsildars and Collector. This decision followed the announcement of the Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on issuing certain relaxations during lockdown, which is extended till May 17.
Tirupattur Collector M.P. Sivanarul said that there is no change in the lockdown measures announced earlier in containment zones. Tirupattur, Vaniyambadi, Jolarpet and Ambur municipalities have been brought under complete lockdown, which yielded good results. There was a single case recovering in Government Medical College Hospital, Adukkamparai and an entry has been added on Monday.
Agarbathi industries, beedi manufacturers can start work on May 6, with staff maintaining social distancing. Shops in these areas would function with restriction on timings.
The decision on allowing functioning of leather industries, tanneries, exports and manufacturers of toys would be taken after May 17, he said.
Faiyaz Ahmed, honorary secretary, Ambur Tanners' Association, said that as many as 650 tanneries and 300-odd leather-allied product industries function in combined Vellore district. The workforce totals to 3.5 lakh, who are all under lockdown for over a month now.
“We have appealed to the Chief Minister and the district administration for reopening the industries to meet the demands in hand. The tanneries and leather industries should be allowed to commence production with skeletal staff, as it is important to sustain the demand. There are number of small industries which could not afford any more lockdown, as they have to spend out of their pockets without any factual income,” he said.
He reminded that even if these industries are opened, getting adequate staff is difficult as they may be living elsewhere in the district’s containment zones. “We keep our fingers crossed on this issue and are ready to adhere the guidelines from the district administration to engage workers in a more productive way,” he said.
