-SATISH HANDA

Asia’s biggest non-leather footwear industry hub at Bahadurgarh in Haryana having nearly 2000 manufacturing units contributes nearly 50% share of non-leather shoes production in the country has been worst affected due to farmers agitation since past over two months due to blocked roads by agitators caused nearly 60-70% drop in production in the absence of raw material including plastic pills,  glue, laminated fabric and other material used in manufacturing shoes. The manufacturers told that they are having acute shortage of manpower since large number of workers are unable to join duty due to traffic block at Tikri and Jharoda borders and non-availability of transport service as such nearly 50% workers usually remain absent everyday.

According to Narender Chhikara Senior Vice President Bahadurgarh Footwear Park Association, industry in the town has already suffered loss worth over Rs 3000 crore during peak winter season when the manufacturing units usually work in three shifts due to heavy demand, but at present there is no work for even a single shift in a day as a result employment opportunities in these manufacturing units, too, has reduced by nearly 40%. He said, most of the manufacturers have lost emergency orders and the tempo owners now demanding hundred percent extra freight for consignment despatched to Delhi. He said, most of the industrial units were in the state of sickness due to overhead expenses borne by them when lock down was declared by the government in the month April 2020 and there was heavy slump even after lock down was lifted.

Chhikar said, there are nearly 2000 units manufacturing non-leather shoes at Bahadurgarh apart from nearly 1000 small scale manufacturing units involved in job work  manufacturing upper and sole of shoes having annual turnover worth Rs 20000 crore, which include 10-15% export.