Many Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the rain-affected regions in Chennai have said that it would take a few more days for them to restore normalcy. Plant and machinery have been damaged at many industrial estates and they need to be cleaned, sanitised and checked before resuming operations.
As on Thursday, the Vichoor Industrial Estate housing 110 units was stagnated up to 1.5 feet. “On Tuesday, the water level rose up to 10 feet inside the estate. The estate was literally sinking. Now the water is slowing receding but the damage incurred is huge,” said S.A. Shafique, president of the Vichoor Industrial Estate Manufacturers Association (VIEMA).
“Even the EB meters were under water and we need to completely revamp the units,” Mr. Shafique lamented. This industrial estate houses key chemical industries, paint units and galvanizing units. “As on Thursday, the estimated loss for this estate stands at ₹160 crore. We will know the exact loss details after all units come back with the calculations,” he said.
S. Gajraj, president of the Thirumazhisai Industrial Estate, said, “Power supply was resumed only on Thursday afternoon. Water has been pumped out. Now all the unit holders are cleaning their shop floors. It will take a few more days to resume production as all motors and machines have to be checked.”
According to ballpark estimates the loss incurred at this estate would be over ₹100 crore. “We need a proper solution for stormwater discharge. And this is a perennial problem faced by the estate,” Mr. Gajraj said.
The north phase of the Ambattur Industrial Estate continued to face issues. There was water stagnation at certain parts of sector II and III. A few places in sector III had water up to two feet. At the 9th Street of sector II, companies were using diesel generators to pump water out of the shop floors. At some units workers were using old cloth and buckets to clean the water from the shops.
The head of an MSME unit here said, “You just can’t switch on the buttons and start work. Proper checks and audits have to be carried out. I need to send those details to my clients to ensure that the products made are of good quality,” and added, “The whole estate is stinking. See the walls of my unit – you can see black patches. It’s going to take time for each of the members here to get back to normal work.”
G. Aravind, president, Ambattur Industrial Estate Manufacturer’s Association, said as on date, the loss estimated for the estate was roughly around ₹2,000 crore.
