100 industrial units resume functioning in Kathua
Avtar Bhat
KATHUA, May 6: While 100 industrial units started functioning here today after the grant of permission to restore the working of those industries dealing with essential items which have been closed due to lockdown last month and start production besides providing job to laborers, however, the authorities did not allow the five bridegrooms from Punjab to proceed for Jammu from gateway of Lakhanpur who were going to solemnize their marriages in some areas of the winter capital.
The resumption of work in 100 industrial units is seeing a big relief for the industry which remained closed for over 40 days in lockdown as well as labour force engaged there who otherwise had become idle and were left with no alternative but to return to their home States. The decision has been lauded by the industrialists of Kathua and laborers as well.
On other hand, the five bridegrooms with their other relatives who had come from Punjab to solemnize their marriage ceremonies in Jammu were kept waiting at Lakhanpur for entire day by the authorities. The Government decision forced two bridegrooms to return from Lakhanpur to their home State Punjab in a fit of anger and resentment while one couple performed simple marriage rituals on roadside at Lakhanpur after the parents of the girl brought the bride from Jammu to Lakhanpur for performing marriage ceremony. However, the family will solemnize the marriage later as per the traditional Hindu rituals after reaching their residence in Punjab.
The other two bridegrooms were waiting at Lakhapur as they too have contacted their in-laws in Jammu asking them to bring the brides to Lakhanpur where they will solemnize the marriage in a nearby village as both the grooms have sought permission from the district administration for the same. Both the grooms were waiting for their brides to come to perform the rituals and later leave for their respective homes with their brides in Punjab.
However, the grooms and their family members had lot of resentment against the administration saying that they had secured the permission from their respective DMs in Punjab but were not allowed to proceed further from Lakhanpur. One of the relatives of a groom said that they have been harassed by the local administration at Lakhanpur as they neither allowed them to proceed further nor advised them to bring the brides to Lakhanpur to perform rituals near here though they made umpteen requests to them during the day.
“They kept us waiting from 10 am to 7pm with the result two grooms returned to their home State in a fit of anger, he said,. Had they told us earlier to bring the brides here we could have managed to do the same and would have been saved from unnecessary humiliation and harassment which we met here throughout the day’’ , he said.
“The marriage is one of the great and auspicious occasions in one’s life and every one wants that this ceremony should be performed joyfully with a big bang but to the ill luck of these couples they were subjected to harassment and humiliation on an important occasion of their life’’, he regretted.
One bridegroom said that it was a dream of his life to get married in J&K and after hard efforts he could manage to get his settlement in Jammu. “I got the permission from local DM in Pathankot, Punjab but the authorities at Lakhanpur did not allow us to proceed further which has shocked me on the first day of my marriage’’, he said while showing his great resentment against the role of the local administration.
The protesting family members of the grooms said “many people from other parts of country were allowed to proceed towards Jammu while we were stopped. We don’t know on what ground they were allowed to leave for Jammu and why not we’’?
He said the administration said that they have to apply for the permission in J&K and for which they have to wait for three to four days which compelled two brides to return to their home State Punjab without solemnizing marriage. He said both the families of grooms as well as brides suffered a huge loss and humiliation due to the decision of administration as the families of brides had made all arrangements for the marriage.
It may be recalled that some days back, a Kathua youth had gone to Pathankot for performing of his marriage ceremony there and later when he returned to his hometown with his bride the couple were not allowed to leave towards their residence and were quarantined. When the family questioned the decision of the authorities they were told that during the time when they had been given permission for solemnization of marriage ceremony in Pathankot, the Kathua was not in Red Zone but now it has been declared as Red Zone and the rules have changed so the couple has to be quarantined.
However, the 100 industrial units dealing with manufacturing of essential items out of 500 industrial units in SICOP Kathua were allowed to resume functioning today.
The Government decision to restart production in these industrial units has given some sort of relief to industrialists as well as laborers engaged in them. More than 500 industrial units are running in Kathua Industrial Estate and nearly 15000 laborers are working in these units.
Some Industrial units which included the units of essential commodities food and oil as well as some other units started their production after following the guideline of Government issued from time to time as a measure to fight against the deadly Coronavirus.
Kathua Industrial Unit Association, president Ajit Bawa said, “We have started nearly 100 units with 30% labour as per guideline and arranged sanitization, masks and measures to maintain body temperature of every worker engaged in the industry’’.
He said the Government decision has come as a much relief to industrialists as workers will earn their livelihood and this will also stop the migration of laborers. After starting the industrial units the workers will not move out of J&K. The laborers are also happy with the decision, he added.
Bawa said that some units are facing the shortage of laborers as the local labour residing in villages were facing problems to reach the industry due to declaration of Red Zone and in want of passes as well as transportation facility. He also appealed to LG GC Murmu to settle the issues of industrialists and announce a package for industry as they have suffered a huge loss due to lockdown.
He said “The waving off GST, CGST, electricity bills, bank loan interest and other taxes be made. Further incentive to industrial laborers is need of hour to run the industry smoothly’’.
The small industrial units have faced huge loss during the lockdown and need a special package to revive the industry, he added.
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