-SATISH HANDA.

 Farmers’ agitation has adversely affected nut-bolt industry at Rohtak having between 3000-3500 manufacturing units supplying nuts and bolts to large number of auto spare parts traders as well as original equipment manufacturers in automobile sector in the country and nearly 52 countries across the world. According to entrepreneurs manufacturing nut-bolts at Rohtak, the business has been reduced more than 50% since past eight to nine months, earlier due to lockdown when entire world was in the grip of KOVID-19 and now due to farmers agitation since past over two and half months.

Pankaj Arora Secretary Laghu Udyog Bharti told that in case farmers’ agitation further continues most of the manufacturing units in the town will be compelled to close down their shutters since industry has already suffered loss worth crores of rupees due to this agitation. Vijay Harjai Secretary Rohtak Metal Finishing Association said, earlier manufacturing units remained closed for months due to lock down declared by the government causing huge financial losses to them. He said, manufacturers are not getting raw material usually procuring from Ludhiana, Delhi and Faridabad due to traffic blocked at the borders by protesting farmers as a result they are able to manufacture only 45-50% of their production capacity.

Sandeep Munjal of MSME Chamber of Commerce Automotive said, nearly 80-90% production of nut-bolts at Rohtak is being supplied to automobile sector including manufacturer of two-wheelers, cars, trucks and tractors but the manufacturers are now getting limited orders since past few months and in many cases they are unable to make supplies due to shortage of raw material as well as labour problem faced by them due to farmers agitation. Munjal said, on-line delivery business of nut-bolts has also witnessed heavy drop and the manufacturers are getting hardly 25-30% orders.