Aurangabad, April 15:
The Waluj industrial area wore a deserted look on the first day of the lockdown. The number of workers also came down by almost 40 per cent. Entrepreneurs predicted that contractual workers from urban and rural areas might skip work due to the strict curfew and fear of action.
There are about 4,000 small and large companies in Waluj and around 3 lakh workers are working in these factories. The government has announced a lockdown from the night of April 14 due to the increasing number of coronavirus. Entrepreneurs involved in export and manufacturing units are exempted from the lockdown. However, the police have started strict enforcement of the lockdown from Thursday. Vehicles were stopped by the police in Waluj and adjoining villages. Workers, entrepreneurs and government officials were being questioned. The police gave a stern warning to the violators and advised them to stay at home. As the lockdown is being enforced by the police, there was a lull in Bajajnagar, Ranjangaon, Jogeshwari and other places. Only workers and entrepreneurs were seen in the area. However, many workers from urban and rural areas preferred to stay at home due to fear of the police. Entrepreneurs Rahul Mogle, Arjun Gaikwad and Abdul Sheikh said that workers should carry an identity card to avoid any action.