The recent Dera Sacha Sauda violence in the Indian states of Haryana and Punjab severely impacted the production process at various textile, apparel and home furnishing units there.
The production during the critical situation was apparently halted for 2-3 days in various textile manufacturing hubs like Panipat (Haryana), Ludhiana, Jalandhar (Punjab) and others.
“On the afternoon of 25th August, all the workers suddenly went back to their homes despite being assured of safety. Even on 26th, nearly 25 per cent of the workers were absent. On 28th, the day when punishment to the Dera Chief was to be announced, nearly 50 per cent of the workers didn’t show up,” said Ajit Lakra, MD of Sumeet Knitwears, Ludhiana and President of Ludhiana Knitters’ Association.
The absence of the workers impacted the work at the unit as the entire chain got disturbed; be it shop floor operations or administrative work.
Winsome Yarns Limited, which has a corporate office in Chandigarh and a unit in Mohali, even offered a 3-days leave to the staff members commuting from Panchkula, in particular.
Other companies that have offices and units in nearby areas of Panchkula also declared August 25 as a holiday sensing the tension in and around the area.
Dhingra Export (Panipat) also kept all its factories closed during the turmoil. Workers, as well as the middle-level management, didn’t want to take the risk during the riots.
Pavan Dhingra, Director informed that even the company didn’t ask its employees to come, considering the safety issues.
Industry stakeholders have revealed that losses due to the turmoil are in crores.
However, no damage to any of the units has been reported so far. The units in Gurgaon and Faridabad (Haryana) remained unaffected.
