Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, May 18: Over 2000 Industrial Units in the border districts of Jammu, Samba and Kathua are facing huge losses as amid tension between India and Pakistan, after Pahalgam terrorists attack, about 80% workers have left for their homes in various States including UP, Bihar, Jharkhand and other parts of the country.
While some of the factories have been forced to stop production, many other units’ production has gone to its lowest ebb. Not only workers from other States, but even some others residing within the border areas of J&K and adjoining Punjab, have not returned to their work since April 6 and 7, after the shelling escalated along the Indo-Pak border besides drones attacks from the Pakistani side.
The heads of various Industrial organizations at Jammu, Bari Brahmana, Kathua and Samba have been raising the concern of the industrialists who are facing massive losses and are unable to pay their bank loan installments due to reduction in the production. They said many units could not even receive raw material due to suspension of transport network as well during past about a fortnight.
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Federation of Industries Jammu (FOIJ), Chairman, Lalit Mahajan when contacted by the Excelsior said that there are about 1800 to 2000 Industrial units in Jammu, Samba and Kathua including those at Gangyal, Bari Brahamana, Kartholi, Bhagthali, Ghati, Govindsar etc. Mahajan further said that he is constantly receiving feedback from office bearers of various Industrial organizations about the crisis. He said those industrial units which are mostly dependent on the workers from outside the State have been forced to suspend their production. But majority of the units have about 60 to 90 per cent workers from outside the J&K UT.
Mahajan said many units have not received raw material due to suspension of transport activity on certain routes while power supply also remained affected during blackout in the past. He said skilled and semi-skilled workers mainly belong to outside J&K. The labourers are brought here through contractors and they have fled J&K after the trouble broke out along the borders. They have not returned till now and the concerned managements are asking them to return. It may take about a week or fortnight more to get the things normal in this part of the region, he added.
Another representative of BBIA and renowned Industrialist, S K Bansal said that his at least 10 units including bottling plants and Agro units are badly suffering. The production has considerably gone low because the labour force and skilled/ semi-skilled workers have gone to their homes in other states after tension along the borders in the region. Bansal regretted that Insurance companies do not cover losses at the time of war. This issue is needed to be taken up forcefully with the companies with the intervention of Government.
Bansal said he has some local labour as well in his units but many of them hail from border belt and have not returned so far. He said the production has fallen down after May 6 and many unit holders will not be able to pay their Bank installments. The Government must come out for the help of the Industrial units as many of them are facing closure, he added.
Virender Jain, president Association of Industry, Gangyal while referring to the crisis being faced by the unit holders in Jammu said that most of the units, either have stopped production or their production had reduced to 20-30%. They are constantly asking their workers to return but it seems the things will take some moré time to return to normal course. Jain said the Union Government must come to the rescue of Industry in J&K which is already facing crisis. It should also release committed benefits to the J&K Industry to save it from the verge of closure.
Ajit Bawa, president and Sandep Mittal, general secretary of Kathua Industries Association said that worst is the condition of the Units in Kathua because over 80-90% labourers have fled and abandoned the industrial units. They said many units have stopped production since May 6 while hardly 40-50% units are operating with minimum work force. The highly skilled and skilled workers hail from outside. It is not possible to operate units in their absence. It is risky as well. They both sought the intervention of Union Finance Minister, Industry Minister and Lt Governor Manoj Sinha to come to the rescue of these units, badly hit by the standoff between India and Pakistan.
Raman Jolly, Vice President Berger Paints and senior member of Samba Industrial Association also referred to the same issue claiming that about 50-60% production has gone down after the abandoning of units by the work force in the SIDCO Complex. He said this problem is being faced in the entire region and it is hoped that things will come to normal by next one week. Jolly said that they have managed to retain some of the skilled workers by providing some facilities but labour class has fled after border tension.
TC Siani from Uflex Ltd Kartholi said that they have three units here and the labour crisis is common in all. He said though his unit had not faced much crisis having majority of local workers but the production has surely gone down during these days. He said Insurance companies must cover losses occurred during war time.
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