Industrial units remain shut

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, August 13

Scores of industrial units at the Focal Point, Industrial Area, Industrial Estate, Gadaipur and Wariana remained closed on Tuesday and unit owners suffered losses worth crores because of the complete closure of their units. Various associations reached out to PSPCL to give them a compensatory day to work.

Besides the big units, small units, shops, etc, also remained closed for the entire day. The transport area in the Industrial Area which is otherwise abuzz with activities daily, was totally silent.

Traders and manufacturers were not allowed to open their units by the protesters who had given a call for Punjab bandh against the demolition of the Guru Ravidas temple in the Tughlaqabad area of Delhi this morning, hours after the Supreme Court’s order.

Even those going to other places on foot were not allowed to go in the morning.

Jalandhar Focal Point Extension Association president Narinder Singh Sagoo said the factories remained completely shut.

“We had approached the PSPCL and requested the officials that on Sunday they must allow us to run our units and no maintenance should be done on that day,” he said, adding that they had got an approval for the same.

Ravinder Dhir, president of the Sports Forum, said, “Almost every unit remained shut. There would be production loss.” Harjinder Singh Bansal, Deputy Chief Engineer, Distribution Circle, Jalandhar, said some associations had called him and shared their concern. “I have heard them and we would not do maintenance on Sunday. We are with industrialists and would definitely cooperate with them,” said Bansal.

The government and private banks remained closed. Those banks which were opened in the morning were made to shut after a while. The roads wore a deserted look.