GUJRAT: Ten leading exporters of the electric fans have been allowed to make their manufacturing units operational on a conditional basis to honour their commitments of supplying the products to the international market.

The permission has been granted by Gujrat Deputy Commissioner Dr Khurram Shahzad in a notification issued on Monday.

Additional Deputy Commissioner General (ADCG) Tauqeer Ilyas Cheema said the government had granted permission to the export-based factories that had enough accommodation available on their premises.

He said 10 leading companies already having export orders with receipts of payments made to them by their clients in the other countries had applied for permission to restart production.

However, four units of an export-allied industry, such as manufacturers of raw material, were also among those granted permission.

According to the notification of the DC office, these units can only allow their skeleton staff in the office as well as in the workshops and the said staff would remain quarantined on the premises of the units.

After entering the premises, the staff members will not be allowed to leave until the dispatch of the export consignment.

The notification says the management of the companies will ensure provision of food to their workers in disposable utensils as well as cleaning of the premises after every hour during the working hours whereas the owners would be responsible for providing surgical mask, sanitisers and social distancing of their workers on the premises.

The workers with travel history or having any meeting with expatriates who arrived in the country recently will also not be allowed to enter the premises.

In case of any coronavirus-related issue of the skeleton staff, the management of industrial unit would contact Deputy District Officer (Health) Dr Ghamkhawar Hussain whereas the deputy director labour has been assigned the task of making regular inspections of the premises of these units to monitor whether the protocols regarding precautions of coronavirus are being followed or not.

The Pakistan Electric Fan Manufacturers Association (Pefma) had earlier requested the deputy commissioner to grant permission for restart of the manufacturing to the export-based industry and the administration told Pefma officials that only those having proper accommodation facility or residential colony for its labour could be allowed to work on certain conditions.

Pefma had provided a list of 10 major exporters and four units of its allied industry to the administration for the grant of permission.

Published in Dawn, April 7th, 2020