1,335 industries in Maharashtra get permission to operate, Mumbai misses out

With April 20 expected to be the first day of lockdown relaxations in Maharashtra, Mumbai’s industries remained closed. Meanwhile, the state has granted permission to 1,335 units across regions not affected by COVID-19. These industries will employ around 20,000 workers, it is said.

Thane district wasn’t as lucky with the Collector in the region classifying the district as a COVID-19 containment zone based on the high number of cases from the region. As a result, all Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation or MIDC estates in Thane, Ambernath, Kalyan-Dombivali, Navi Mumbai, and Murbad did not operate on Monday. 

However, not everybody was on board with the Collector’s decision to close down Thane. “The entire district cannot be a containment zone. Life must go on,” an official from the industries department said.

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Clarifying the State Government’s stance, State Industries Minister, Subhash Desai said, “Containing the virus is the government’s first goal. No industry can be allowed in hot spots. Industries are being allowed to operate in rural/no risk areas.”

The BMC has permitted nine metro operations across Mumbai to go ahead. The MMRCL (Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd) has reportedly begun working on its underground Metro 3 sites as well. The project director of MMRCL, S K Gupta said - “We had more than 900 engineers, technicians and staff working on sites, primarily on monsoon-related works.”

Additionally, civic authorities have started working on Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, Koori bridge, as well as the Kalanagar flyover. The authorities are also said to be revamping parts of the Western Express Highway.

Existing private construction projects in the city where the labourers are already staying at the site have been permitted to resume working pending proper approvals from the local authorities. 

However, the BMC has mentioned that it is yet to chalk out a strategy to allow builders to resume construction work in the city. The BMC said that it hasn’t received applications from builders as of Monday. 

Chairman of Mumbai Port Trust, Sanjay Bhatia, said that steel imports have begun while the export of cars has also reached normal levels after a few weeks of dulling trade.