Normalcy is slowly returning to Karnataka’s Bidadi industrial area, which houses the plants of some big companies, including Toyota Kirloskar, Coca-Cola and Bosch. Home to 165 manufacturing units, the industrial estate on the outskirts of Bengaluru saw half of its workforce of about 30,000 people back at work on Tuesday. “About 80% of factories in industrial areas are open,” Gaurav Gupta, principal secretary, industries department said.
According to him, more than 60% of employees across industrial units in the state are back, though there are issues with regard to capacity utilisation. Capacity utilisation, he said, ranged between 20% and 80% due to a combination of factors. “Some are affected by the lack of demand, some due to raw material supply issues, and others because of labour shortage,” Gupta said. Manufacturing units across Karnataka have been hit by lack of supply of components, as makers of those inputs located in high risk states of Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra have been under a prolonged lockdown.
“Normalcy in input supply as well as uptick in demand will happen once big metros open up,” said a top executive at a manufacturing plant in Bidadi. “We are confident it will happen soon.” The 1,500-acre Bidadi industrial estate is one of the largest and important manufacturing hubs in the state. Of the 165 manufacturing industries here, 155 opened on Tuesday, a positive signal to the state government, even though they are weeks or months away from going full throttle.
“The manufacturing units here are working in a single shift. Prohibitory orders kick in by 9 pm and workers have to reach home by then. You will see a semblance of normalcy only after the lockdown is completely lifted and prohibitory orders gone,” said KV Rajendra Hegde, president at Bidadi Industries Association.
