Farmers Movement Archive

Farmers’ protest chokes units in Bahadurgarh’s industrial cluster

Hundreds of industrial units in Haryana’s Bahadurgarh, the hub for India’s non-leather footwear manufacturers, are bearing the brunt of the ongoing farmers’ agitation at Tikri. Though a majority of the industrial units in this satellite town of Delhi are now running at less than half of their capacity, many are temporarily shut, with the transportation of raw material and processed goods taking a hit. Narinder Chhikara, senior vice-president, Bahadurgarh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told The Hindu that ‘Part B’ of the Modern Industrial Estate (MIE), housing around 1,600 units, including footwear, electronics, plastic, auto-parts and chemicals, was the worst hit. “Bahadurgarh has around 10,000 small and big industrial units in different sectors and almost all have been hit, with the transportation of raw material and processed goods affected, but the ‘Part B’ of the MIE, surrounded by a drain, the protesters and Delhi, bears the brunt. The units in this part are either temporarily shut or running at 30%-35% capacity,” said Mr. Chhikara. The footwear industry of Bahadurgarh stares at huge losses if the agitation prolongs and the transportation of winter footwear is delayed further. Though industrialists are ready to pay extra to transport their finished products to the warehouses in Delhi’s Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar and Punjabi Bagh areas via the Kundli-Manesar Expressway to be despatched further, transporters are not willing to accept the goods since their warehouses are full. Mr. Chhikara said several internal roads connecting Delhi to Bahadurgarh were either shut or witnessed a huge rush of traffic.

The Hindu

2020-12-16

GURUGRAM