KOLKATA: V S Kundu, the CEO of Gurgaon Metropolitan Development Authority has asked Gurgaon-based MNCs, BPOs and IT enabled Service companies to allow their employees to work from home (WFH) till the 31st of July.
In a press release, Kundu who is the additional chief secretary of Haryana, as well, also stated that several real estate projects have been green lit for resumption, including those by DLF. He added that the sine qua non was to follow the current hygiene norms set by the Centre.
A constituent of the Delhi-National Capital Region, Gurgaon is often referred as the Millennial City. It has all the reason to be called so as it is home to a multitude of MNCs like Infosys, Genpact, Google and Microsoft, alongside BPOs, start-ups and e-commerce companies.
In mid-March, The Gurgaon District Administration had issued an advisory, after a Paytm office shut down after an employee tested positive for Coronavirus. The advisory asked these companies to allow their employees to work from home, until further notice.
Now, in the press release, Kundu specified, “As of now it appears (that) this advisory for work from home will continue till end of July. All those who have offices in Gurgaon should continue to work from home to the extent possible.”
The point man for handling the COVID-19 crisis in Gurgaon district, Kundu acknowledged that working from home isn’t an option for several sectors, like real estate and manufacturing, but WFH and hygiene norms must be effectively followed, nonetheless.
In that context, the GMDA CEO added that few construction sites of ongoing NHAI and GMDA projects have been allowed to resume work within the norms of social distancing. “Construction sites where labourers are already staying on the site or those where labourers stay within walking distance are allowed to resume work while adhering to social distancing norms,” he affirmed.
Kundu stressed that the nature of this COVID-19 pandemic makes it wholly uncertain for one to guess when “we will go back to the previous normal.”
As a matter of fact, he added, “You may have to go to a new normal.”
Kundu outlined the administration’s goal of balancing their response stringency with ensuring the livelihood of the community.
Gurgaon is also considered a hub for the automotive industry as major manufacturers have factories in that district.
Kundu announced that select manufacturing plants, like Maruti, have been given the nod to restart operations. “When it is in a position to safely handle workers, they can start operations. It is not a permission at that level, but they have to keep us informed of when they start the operations,” he added.
Maruti-Suzuki had applied for permission to operate with 4,696 employees, but they received permission to operate with 600 workers in single shifts. “We want them to first work out a system for the safety of their workers, which for us is of paramount importance… When this operation stabilises, we will consider scaling it up to more employees,” said Kundu.
The district has reported 51 COVID-19 cases. Of these, 35 have recovered. It is deemed to be in the red zone. Moreover, it is considered the worst affected district besides Nuh, Palwal and Faridabad in Haryana.
Kundu now describes the situation in Gurgaon as “fairly under control” and said there is no evidence of community transmission.
On Sunday, Union Health Ministry reported that the state of Haryana has reported 289 cases (including 176 who have been cured, discharged or migrated) and 3 fatalities.
On March 25, PM Modi announced a nationwide lock-down that has since been extended. But, Gurgaon has effectively been under lockdown since March 22 to curb the spread of this deadly virus. This gave the administration a short head-start to handle the situation better, Kundu said.
The district administration is currently conducting surveys and will start providing food coupons to poor families who don’t have ration cards. These coupons will give them rations for three months.
The district administration has been ensuring steady supply of rations to them through its various channels, Kundu added.
He said the manufacturing of personal protective equipment (PPEs) have already begun. Two apparel firms have been sanctioned to manufacture PPEs in their plants.