Lashing out at Narendra Modi-led Central Government for inflicting brutal wounds on the Punjab industry by prohibiting movement of goods trains in the State, Punjab Large Industrial Development Board chairman Pawan Dewan on Sunday pointed that rail services were not stopped even in the peak terrorism days.
Suspension of freight trains has pushed against the wall the industry that is already struggling to come out of COVID-19 aftermath, he said.
“The 20,000 crore economic package promised by the Centre has not seen the light of the day, what to talk of fulfilling a promise…Central Government’s decision is bound to break the backbone of industry,” he said.
Dewan said that non-operation of trains is not only affecting import evacuation but also exports, as the industry is unable to produce in the absence of raw material, thus affecting exports. “Industries are facing huge losses which will have adverse repercussions on the entire economy, so the Central Government must review its decision at the earliest,” he said.
Citing the example of hosiery industry, Dewan said that with the onset of winters, hosiery sales are to take off from Punjab to different parts of the country and beyond, but the closure of train movement has put a full stop to it. Similar are the woes of other industries, he added.
Mohali Industrialists Association president Yogesh Sagar, who is into fabrication and sheet metal components manufacturing, said: “It is indeed a very tough time for industry, labour shortage, COVID impact, financial difficulties and on top of that massive set-back by inhibition on movement of goods-trains.”
“Exporters are foreseeing order cancellations and penalties on failure to deliver goods coupled with credibility loss. Even domestic orders are hard to meet since transportation via road instead of rail will lead to substantial increase in expenses,” he rued.
He said that it was expected to be a ‘Black-Diwali’ this season. “The COVID-hit labourers, looking for Diwali bonus, now fear losing jobs, the public going out to buy goods or gifts in the market will find things out of reach and the manufacturers have nothing else to look forward to except for return of ‘normalcy’,” he said.
Echoing similar sentiments, sewing machine spare parts’ manufacturer Bahadur Singh from Bahadur Udyog and Jaswinder Singh Saini from National Steel Industries lamented upon shortage of coal for foundries and goods rake being stuck up in Ambala, Haryana.
We have tremendous pressure on the cost part, the raw material prices have gone up, particularly iron-ore or pig iron, he said.
“Right now, we are able to manage our inventories and materials,” said AR Chaudhary from AV Fabrications, irked over non-arrival of orders for iron-ore placed in Chhattisgarh. We have been forced to buy raw material at ‘premium price’ from the local markets, he said.