The state government on Wednesday permitted a few more activities from Thursday in a bid to slowly revive economic activities most of which have been at a standstill for the past one month owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.One of the major sectors to benefit will be construction, and transportation of materials like cement, steel, and bricks. The government, however, has limited this largely to government projects and industrial estates.
The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL) can resume construction work by making use of the labourers available locally. The government order, issued by chief secretary TM Vijay Bhaskar, is clear that the companies could use labourers available only locally, and they cannot be brought from outside.
In respect of metro projects, the order, however, says the metro construction activities can take place only within the municipal corporation (BBMP) limits. It was not immediately clear if all of metro extension projects on the eastwest and north-south lines fell within the BBMP’s limits.
The government order also opens up construction of roads, irrigation projects, buildings and all kinds of industrial projects including micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in rural areas. It also permits construction of projects in industrial estates where they could get workers locally. They are prohibited from getting workers from outside.
These exemptions are allowed only in places that are not part of containment zones.
This limited opening up, sources say, will help labourers who have been out of job for the past one month, and could not leave Bengaluru due to the lockdown. The construction sector, including BMRCL contractors, however, will find it difficult to resume a significant level of operations until workers return from their native places, and public transport is restored in Bengaluru.
The government has opened up all goods traffic, truck repair outlets and dhabas, courier services and self-employed professions like electric repair, plumbing and carpentry. The government has further eased end-to-end activities in agriculture, horticulture, fisheries, animal husbandry and plantations in a bid to remove any distress in rural economy.
