Close to a month since the lockdown was clamped across the country, industrial activity will resume in Gujarat from April 20.

GANDHINAGAR: Close to a month since the lockdown was clamped across the country, industrial activity will resume in Gujarat from April 20. Adhering to GOI guidelines, chief minister Vijay Rupani on Thursday decided to relax the lockdown in select areas of the state with regard to industrial activity.

Secretary to the CM, Ashwani Kumar, said that the relaxation will not be applicable in areas declared as Covid hotspots or containment zones in different cities of Gujarat. “Commercial activities and businesses can start functioning from April 20, with stringent precautions that have been listed out by the Union government,” the official said.

A committee will be formed at the district level under the leadership of district collector who will oversee the implementation of the relaxation to industries and commercial activities in his or her jurisdiction. Besides, a seven-member committee comprising the regional head of the concerned GIDC, officer from the department of labour and employment, chief district health officer, factory inspector, a deputy municipal commissioner in areas governed by municipal corporation, and an officer from district industrial centre will be formed to issue permissions as per the guidelines of government of India for resuming industrial and commercial operations from April 20.

The standard guidelines for industries include conducting thermal screening of the people at the establishment, compulsory mask, adequate facilities for sanitization and social distancing, staggered lunch time and staggered entry and exit time and crowd management. The owners and the management of the organization will have to ensure that no person from identified clusters or quarantined areas joins the work. Adequate stay and lodging arrangements for the workers and safe transport for pick-up and drop will have to be arranged by the units concerned.

Violation of any of the standard operating procedures will lead to suspension of approval for operations and the particular unit will be forced to close.

The official added that women workers will not be asked to work from 7pm to 6am at industrial units which will be granted permission to function. Works related to MNREGA will also commence from April 20 and priority will be given to irrigation and water conservation works.

Self-employed persons such as electricians, plumbers, carpenters, motor mechanics and the like will also be allowed to operate provided they use face masks, sanitizers and observe social distancing, Kumar added.

