By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI/BHUBANESWAR: Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has set up a control room to monitor in real time the status of transportation and delivery of goods, manufacturing, delivery of essential commodities to common man and the difficulties being faced by various stakeholders during the lockdown period from 25.3.2020 to 14.4.2020, sources said on Thursday.
In the event of any manufacturing, transporter, distributor, wholesaler or e-commerce companies facing ground level difficulties in transportation and distribution of goods or mobilization of resources, the same may be informed to the Department at the following telephone number/ email:- controlroom-dpiit@gov.in, Telephone: + 91 11 23062487.
The telephone number will be functional from 8 AM to 6 PM. The issues reported by various stakeholders will be taken up by the Department with the concerned state government, district and police authorities, and other concerned agencies.
Meanwhile, earlier, after Union PNG-Steel Minister Dharmendra Pradhan held video conference with CMD of PSUs under PNG-Steel Ministries with reports of halt in transportation of minerals from mineral rich districts of Jajpur, Keonjhar, Sundargarh and Mayurbhanj in Odisha and rest of the Country, in view of the restriction imposed for nationwide lockdown, Union Steel Secretary Binoy Kumar had written a letter to States including Odisha to ensure smooth transportation of Minerals and Raw materials , functioning of Steel Plants and transportation of finished Steel.
Reports had said that tens of thousands of trucks engaged to transport minerals from Odisha’s mineral bearing districts like Keonjhar,Sundargarh, Mayurbhanj and Jajpur districts to various Ports and Plants locations were stopped operations after the Naveen Patnaik Government here imposed complete lockdown fearing COVID-19 outbreak in the State.
“In view of the fact that section 2(1)(a)(xii) of Essential Services Maintenance Act of 1981 clearly lists “any service in any establishment or undertaking dealing with production, supply, or distribution of Coal, Power, Steel or Fertilisers” as an “Essential Service”, it is requested that no restriction shall be imposed on the operation of Steel Plants, both Integrated, as well as Induction Furnace or Electric Arc Furnace based Steel units, entry of workers in these engaged in these Plants, movement of raw materials including Iron, Ore,CoalLimestone, Dolomite,Ferro-alloys, Scrap, Sponge Iron and intermediate or finished products to and from such Plants through road, rail, water and sea,” Union Steel Secretary Kumar had said, in his Letter dated on March 24, 2020.
