4,500 units near Tikri hit hard

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 2

Farmers' protests at the Tikri border have hit Bahadurgarh industry hard as over 4,500 units, including 1,500 footwear manufacturers having annual turnover of over Rs 10,000 crore, are almost completely shut because of the sealing of the border.

On the other hand, over 8,000 industries in Kundli, Rai, Murthal, Garhi and Sonepat near the Singhu border are functioning almost as usual except for having to face some hike in transportation rates and time-consuming travel.

Subhash Jagga, general secretary of Footwear Park, Bahadurgarh, who is also general secretary of Bahadurgarh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), said over 4,500 industries based there are almost shut due to sealing of Tikri border due to the protests.

"Many of our labourers come from Delhi. Most of the unit owners also hail from Delhi. We depend hugely on the national capital for our raw material and also for the sale of finished goods. With Delhi's borders with Bahadurgarh closed at Tikri for almost 40 days now, we don't have any chance of running our units," said Jagga.

Bahadurgarh is the hub of the footwear industry. Of the 4,500-odd units there, 1,500 are footwear manufacturers having an annual turnover of over Rs 10,000 crore.

Industry owners in Bahadurgarh town claim that they have been facing issues since March when the industry was shut due to Covid-related lockdown.

"The industry started opening in July after the lockdown was lifted, but our production had hardly attained 60 per cent of the pre-March stage that the farmers' protests at Tikri shut our business again," alleged another industry owner.

While the industry at Bahadurgarh has been hit hard by the protests, those at Kundli, Rai, Murthal, Garhi and Sonepat near the Singhu border are functioning as usual despite a large number of protesters sitting there.

"Farmers at Singhu are largely from Punjab while those at Tikri are from Haryana. The Punjabi farmers don't stop anyone from crossing while they are sitting on the roadsides. Rather, they help commuters, including drivers of transportation vehicles, to pass safely and guide them towards the village routes. I have to drive through the road where the farmers are sitting and I am often offered mineral water bottles and food items, including pizzas," said Rakesh Chhabra, president of Rai Industrial Association. Chhabra said that it was only because the police don't allow them to cross their barricades at Singhu that they have to take village routes, but the farmers never harass anyone.

from The Tribune https://ift.tt/3hChUGp