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As many as 338 factories under different categories remained open on Monday amid the ongoing strict lockdown which was enforced to stop the spread of Covid-19.
After an 8-day long relaxation between July 15-22 on the occasion of the festival of Eid-ul-Azha, the country is now under a complete lockdown for 14 days from July 23 to August 5, in order to stem the surge in Covid-19 cases.
By enforcing the lockdown, the government put a bar on running manufacturing factories excepting few emergency services including rawhide transportation, medicine, medical equipment and essential food production.
In the current phase of lockdown, the government announced that export-oriented industries and ready-made garment factories would also remain closed during this period.
According to Industrial Police data, there are 338 factories under different categories that are now in operation with prior permission from the authorities concerned.
“Those factories, which remain out of the purview of the ongoing lockdown, have started their production as usual. Besides, a few garment factories are now open only for shipment with prior permission and there is no report for any kind of harassment,” an officer of the industrial police told The Business Post on condition of anonymity.
Basically, manufacturing medicines, food, oxygen, electricity, processed leather and medical equipment based factories are open during the ongoing lockdown,” he added.
However, the readymade garments owners have claimed that they are being harassed by the law enforcers in several areas of Dhaka and Chittagong region.
On July 26, Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturer and Exporters Association president AKM Selim Osman wrote a letter to the deputy commissioners of Dhaka, Narayanganj, Gazipur and Chittagong, alleging such harassment.
In his letter, he urged the local administration to cooperate with them by providing them with necessary workforce inside the factory due to security reasons.
He also urges for ensuring free movement who are out of the purview of the lockdown.
“We cannot move easily although the government gives us permission to export our ready goods. Maybe, law enforcement agencies are not well aware about any such directives. That’s why, the government should take immediate steps to protect us,” said Fazlee Shamim Ehsan, vice president of BKMEA, while talking to The Business Post.
Legal action if factory found open
Meanwhile, legal action will be taken if any industrial factory is found open amid the strict lockdown imposed to prevent the spread of coronavirus, State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain said
He was speaking to journalists after the cabinet meeting on Monday, reports UNB.
The state minister said all government-private offices should be closed except for the factories involved in the production and processing of food products, the preservation of rawhide and the pharmaceutical industry.
He said “I am monitoring the industrial mills whether they are open or not. And if we find any evidence, legal action will be taken against those who are running factories.”
Moreover, Farhad said the government has so far no plan to open garment factories.
The state minister further said, “When people are roaming on the streets for the sake of work, we are actually trying to check the veracity of what they are saying.”
