COVID-19: No industries to be allowed to run in Solan's containment zones

Tribune News Service
Solan, April 12

With the emergence of nine COVID-19 cases in Nalagarh subdivision, District Magistrate, Solan, declared the closure of all industrial units in the containment zones of Jharmajri in Barotiwala and Nalagarh, including pharma as well as its ancillary and food-based units.

The orders issued on Saturday, state that the problem has been aggravated with the discovery of three more positive cases at Khuda Baksh Banoi village in Haryana which was barely 200 metre from the Kalu Jhinda panchayat in Baddi. This has created an overlapping containment zone of COVID-19 cases and the Jharmajri area in Barotiwala was also a containment zone where 6 cases of COVID-19 have been detected. Besides this, three members of Tablighi Jamaat were also found COVID positive in Nalagarh area. Considering this, a complete prohibition of movement of people has been ordered to prevent the spread of the disease in the Barotiwala and Nalagarh areas.

Deputy Director industries have been directed to put on hold all cases of recommendation for allowing ingress of industrial workers from within and outside the state to this vulnerable industrial belt.

Notably, this is a significant development as the area houses pharma units which were manufacture essential drugs.

The ingress of industrial workers, which was permitted from within and outside the state since the last four days, had increased the risk quotient for the locals.

Notably, 441 workers from nine units had been granted permission to ingress into the area in the last three days while cases of 54 units for ingress of about 3700 workers from within and outside the state were in the process of being recommended.

The orders will be applicable within the 3 km radius of Tablighi markaz at Nalagarh and the similar area around Brooklyn Hospital at Jharmajri and the Steel Bird helmet manufacturing company at Jharmajri in Barotiwala.

No industry will operate in these containment zones as per the orders.