Chennai: The auto factories in Oragadam-Sriperumbudur-Kanchipuram region, most of which have opted for extended shutdown due to Covid pandemic, will restart production next week.
Yamaha, which is currently on an extended shutdown of around 15 days, will open on June 1, said a plant employee. When contacted, the company spokesperson said: “We will take all the adequate measures to firstly ensure that our employees are safe in the current situation. The company has always followed the government’s lockdown guidelines and we will abide by it. We are closely monitoring the situation.” Apollo Tyres and JK are currently functioning with bare minimum hands, say union sources.
“Both factories will only start functioning fully from June 1 onwards,” said CITU state president A Soundararajan. When contacted, the Apollo Tyre spokesman said: “The Oragadam plant is operational with less than 50% workforce and following all safety protocols.” JK did not comment.
Others like Hyundai have already announced that production will begin from Sunday May 30 onwards. Renault-Nissan has announced that its plant will be closed till May 30. Royal Enfield, which has also announced a shutdown from May 27, will resume operations from May 31. TVS and Daimler India Commercial Vehicles are continuing plant operations as before, said company spokespersons.