Coronavirus lockdown: CII urges govt to allow select activities in 'hotspot' areas

Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on Tuesday suggested the government to allow select activities even in the hotspots other than the containment zones. The activities should be restricted only in the demarcated zones of the containment zones, CII said in a letter. The industry body also sought clarity on the zones and how to operate within the zones.

The central government recently released a list of economic activities that will be permitted after April 20 in certain areas keeping in view the interests of farmers and daily wage earners. According to the notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the activities allowed under the guidelines are not permitted in the red zones.

CII further said that no specific permission should be required from the state government or local authorities to start manufacturing activities in the permitted area. The firm should be required to only inform the relevant authorities through an email, it added. "State government / local authorities will be flooded with an excessive volume of applications, which would create delay in kick-starting the economic activities," it said.

 Adding, CII said since information technology (IT) and information technology-enabled services (ITES) with 50 per cent strength should be allowed to function while maintaining social distancing. Any establishment that can fulfill this stipulation should be allowed on self-certification, CII recommended. "E-commerce companies for both essential as well as non-essential commodities are allowed," it said.

In cases of workers who are living close to the industrial units should be allowed to walk or bicycle to work and back. "The condition to provide accommodation within the industrial premises or adjacent to it should be relaxed to include nearby distances of up 10 kms. Greater clarifications would help in case of clear guidelines for the transportation of workers from residence to work and back," CII recommended.

All company-run vehicles that get employees of essential services from other districts and states should be allowed to ply with necessary passes, it said. "The vehicles should be allowed to ply in all districts of the home state and also to districts of neighboring states, avoiding containment areas," it also said.

 The establishments can be held responsible for violating spatial or sanitary norms but not if someone in the company gets coro