Leading two-wheeler maker Bajaj Auto has dismissed reports which said that its Aurangabad Plant has been shut down because 79 workers were tested coronavirus positive.
"It has come to our attention that there are reports circulating that Bajaj Auto’s manufacturing facility at Waluj (Aurangabad) in Maharashtra has shut down due to incidence of Covid 19 amongst some employees there. At the outset we want to clarify that our manufacturing facility at Waluj is functioning normally," Ravi Kyran Ramasamy, CHRO, Bajaj Auto said.
Ramasamy also added from April 24 till June 6, they had no coronavirus cases at their Waluj plant.
"However, as is well known, post the easing of lockdown progressively from June 1st, there has been a general increase across the country in the rise of infection including amongst industries, armed forces, police, media and government institutions," Ramasamy said.
The company said that it reported its first confirmed case on June 6 and took all necessary measures for testing, contact tracing, self-isolation and complete sanitation as per protocol.
"We at Bajaj Auto, like the country at large, are now learning to live with the virus. We will continue our normal business operations, while taking all necessary safety measures, as the alternative is to shut down our operations with ‘no work no pay’ which will have a drastic impact on our employees and supply chain," said Ramasamy.
Report of Bajaj's factory shutdown because of the coronavirus spread was widely shared on social media as the company's top boss Rajiv Bajaj has been a sharp critic of the three-month long nationwide lockdown imposed by the central government.
"India has been in a draconian lockdown since the coronavirus outbreak. The draconian lockdown has flattened the wrong curve and that being of the GDP," Rajiv Bajaj said in an interview with Congress’ MP Rahul Gandhi.
This is also the not the first time when workers at facilities have been tested positive.
Employees at a Maruti Suzuki plant in Haryana and Hyundai Motor plant in Tamil Nadu were also tested positive for coronavirus earlier this month when they resumed operations following a gap of about two months.
The incidents had not impacted production but raised questions on the safety protocols and how difficult it is to contain the virus.
India on Friday reported its biggest single-day increase in COVID-19 cases, recording 17,296 new infections in the last 24 hours, pushing the overall tally to 4,90,401 lakh.
Maharashtra remains the worst affected state with over 1.47 lakh cases.