Keeping in view the threat of the third pandemic wave, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has today directed the formation of a ‘Task Force for Industry’.

This task force would be monitored directly by the Chief Minister’s Office to ensure that the state’s economic cycle and industrial production continues uninterrupted during the pandemic situation.

“Maharashtra has set an example for the whole country when industries continued to operate without hindrance even during the Covid-19 pandemic last year,” Thackeray said, addressing an online meeting of top corporates and industry honchos.

Some of the prominent personalities present at the meeting were representatives of the CII, Uday Kotak, Jane Karkada, Niranjan Hiranandani, Harsh Goenka, among others.

The CM claimed that the state was fully prepared to combat a potential ‘third wave’ with oxygen production and stocks, planning mass vaccination of industrial workers, continuing the economic cycle despite tightening of restrictions, arrangements for temporary field accommodation for employees in the company premises, and other measures.

He pointed out that currently around 1,300 tonnes of liquid medical oxygen is produced daily in the state which is expected to be scaled up by more than double if the coronavirus challenges increase. Corporates were urged to get their employees and workers vaccinated on a mass scale. The private hospitals have been given stocks of around 25 per cent vaccine doses by the Centre.

The CM also called upon small and big enterprises to continue safe production by creating a ‘bio-bubble system’ within the Covid protocols and plan out shifts to avoid crowds without increasing stress on any facility.

Thackeray cautioned that in view of the new Delta strain, more vigil must be maintained, and pointed out that many countries have started re-imposing public restrictions on a large scale.

Vyas said that in the first wave, the state had 20 lakh cases, while in the second wave, the figure had more than doubled to 40 lakh in barely 2 to 3 months, and said the speed of the next (third) wave is anticipated to be much higher with an increasing number of infections in western and coastal Maharashtra.

The corporate heads assured the state government of their fullest cooperation to ensure that the virus doesn’t affect industrial production or industrial precincts.

…With IANS inputs