Aurangabad, June 2:
All shops have been allowed to continue work from 7 am to 2 pm after a month and a half of lockdown. It also includes suppliers who supply raw materials to the industrial sector. About fifty per cent of the industries were shut down due to lack of oxygen supply and raw materials. There is an atmosphere of excitement in the industrial sector as this will help in starting the industrial cycle.
The shops supplying raw material and were a part of the industrial supply chain had been shut since March. As a result, even though the industry was running, 80 per cent of the industries were facing difficulties in procuring raw material as the supply chain had been disrupted. Industries were facing shortages of steel, metal, paper, plastic, chemicals, glass, oxygen and other items. As all the shops were closed, the crisis increased. Many MSME unit owners had to shell out more money for buying raw material from other states. Lack of raw material forced nearly 50 per cent SMEs to shut operations. Entrepreneurs also lost their orders as they were unable to fulfill them on time. Entrepreneurs had demanded to unlock the shops. Hence since Tuesday, shops were open under unlock. This helped the entrepreneurs in completing the lingering work. However, the entrepreneurs demanded that if the time of shops supplying goods to the industrial sector is changed from 10 am to 5 pm, it will benefit the industrial sector.
Price must be reduced
Suppliers have been allowed to supply goods to the industrial sector. At the same time, the huge rise in raw material prices, especially steel, needs to be curtailed. The center should make efforts to curtail the growing prices. The oxygen supply to industries should also resume. In future the government must permit these shops to run from 10 am to 5 pm, said Abhay Hanchanal, Massia president.