Kanwar yatra: Traffic restrictions hit trade activities in Faridabad

Bijendra Ahlawat
Tribune News Service
Faridabad, July 31
The ongoing Kanwar yatra has impacted the trade and industrial activities in the region. The production and supply of various items in this industrial hub has declined for many units here, Rajiv Chawla, president of the Integrated Association of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises of India has claimed.
“The yatra has affected work in many units dependent on the supply of raw material or finished goods to units located in Uttarakhand and western Uttar Pradesh. Transportation work has nearly come to a standstill due to restrictions on vehicular movement on many roads,” said Chawla.
He said the production in his unit was down to 30 per cent as he was unable to supply or get products from his partners located in areas affected by the movement of kanwariyas.
Several ancillaries supplying material to major units located in areas like Haridwar and Roorkee districts were finding it difficult to do so in wake of problems involving due to restrictions on heavy vehicles movement. Raj Bhatia, president of the Faridabad Industries Association (FIA) here, said there was considerable impact on trade and manufacturing activity due to disruption in the movement of trucks on many routes in the National Capital Region (NCR).
While transportation rates have doubled, the risk of accidents has also led to a decline in trade activities. “This will continue for almost a month,” Ramneek Prabhakar of the Manufacturers Association Faridabad stated.
Since the cost of transportation has doubled, the yatra has impacted around 10 to 15 per cent of the units in the area. “Many units here have been spending more time and money on the transportation of goods and supplies due to route diversions. The movement of commercial and heavy vehicles has been halted on several routes towards some of the cities in Uttarakhand,” said Pramod Rana, general secretary, IMT Industries Association.
Anticipating hiccups, some manufacturers and suppliers had asked their vendors to pick up supplies before the start of the yatra to avoid inconvenience. Suresh Chander Garg, an industrialist, said since the yatra was an annual affair, some industrial and business houses had an action plan ready to deal with any issues related to the yatra.

Supply disrupted
The yatra has affected work in many units dependent on the supply of raw material or finished goods to units located in Uttarakhand and western Uttar Pradesh. Transportation work has nearly come to a standstill due to restrictions on vehicular movement on many roads. —Rajiv Chawla, president, integrated association of micro, Small and Medium enterprises of India