Tender from Tamil Nadu gives boost to manufacturing of cycles, parts in dist

Tribune News Service

Manav Mander

Ludhiana, June 25

Cycle industry, which is going through a difficult phase, got a booster dose after it managed to get a tender for providing 6.25 lakh cycles from Tamil Nadu.

During the Covid pandemic induced lockdown, the cycle industry had seen a boom while now it is going through a rough patch due to fluctuating steel prices and inflation, which has decreased buying capacity of the people. According to sources, the cycle industry’s production has come down to only 20 per cent.

There was a time when the industry used to work in three shifts. At present, there are only two shifts. In some units, the work is being done in a single shift. Such tenders will prove beneficial not only for the cycle industry, but also for parts manufacturers. —Cycle parts manufacturer, Ludhiana

In the coming days, two more tenders are being expected to be floated by Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan Governments.

Due to pandemic, no tenders were floated in the past, but now the state governments have resumed their scheme of giving free cycles to girl students, which has come as a breather for the Ludhiana cycle industry.

Gurmeet Kular, president, Federation of Industrial and Commercial Organisations (FICO), said, “The cycle industry is going through a difficult phase. At present, there is no demand for cycles in the global as well as local markets.”

“The tender will help local industry and also prove beneficial for cycle parts manufacturers as they will get business too. Two more tenders are expected to be floated by the state governments and we are eagerly waiting for them,” said Kular.

Rakesh Kansal, a cycle parts manufacturer, further said during Covid pandemic cycle industry saw an unexpected boom, but now there was no business at all. Various factors had led to downfall in business, he said. From the last two years, no tenders were floated by any state government, but now things were getting back to normal, he added. These tenders floated by the Tamil Nadu government had come as a breather, he said.

“There was a time when industry used to work in three shifts. But at present, only two shifts are running. In some units work is being done in a single shift. These tenders will prove beneficial not only for the cycle industry, but also for parts manufacturers,” said another cycle parts manufacturer.

In the coming days, Madhya Pradesh will float tender for 5.5 lakh bicycles and Rajasthan for 2.5 lakh bicycles.

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