Bhopal, May 4 (IANS): The Madhya Pradesh government on Monday decided to permit industrial activities in red and orange zones with some restrictions under the new guidelines in the state during the third phase of the lockdown.

Under the new guidelines, large, medium, small and micro industries and the warehouses of industrial and manufacturing items will be allowed to operate. The state government made an announcement to this effect on Monday.

No industrial activity will, however, be permitted in containment zones of red and orange zones of the districts. All the industrial activities will be conducted in the rural areas (outside the containment area) of these districts.

No permission is required from District Collectors to commence these activities. But, it will be mandatory to get permission from the District Crisis Management Group to operate industries in urban areas in the districts which are red and orange zones.

These would include units of Special Economic Zone, export-oriented industrial units, units established in industrial areas/zones, essential commodities including manufacturing units of pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, health care products and units manufacturing raw materials for them and IT hardware units and packaging materials.

All types of industries can be started in the districts declared green zones. Prior permission of the District Collector or DCMG is not required for this. No permission is required for the movement of workers, employees, raw materials and finished products in these areas.

Workers, labourers and officers living in the containment zone will not be allowed to work in all the industries operating in the districts of red, orange and green zones.

In the districts of red and orange zones, labourers, employees, officers of industries operating in rural or urban areas will not need a pass to travel to the units of non-containment areas but in urban areas of such districts, it is necessary to obtain a pass from the district administration for movement from non-containment areas to units. The DCMG will decide which industry should be given permission for movement of their manpower in which area of the district/city, considering the special situation of the district.

Such industries, which make accommodation arrangements for all the labourers in their premises, will not be required to obtain permission from the DCMG. Intra-state and interstate buses will not be able to operate even in areas outside the containment area of the red zone.

In the notified industrial areas and Pithampur, Mandideep, Malanpur/Bamora Industrial areas, the permission to the labourers, workers and officers will be provided in coordination with the DCMG of the nearby districts. As per the guidelines of the Ministry of Home Affairs, movement of four wheelers and two wheelers will be allowed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. following the standard operating procedure.

All corona prevention standards will have to be adhered to in all industries operating in all zones. There will be no restrictions on the movement of trucks of raw materials or finished products of industrial units except containment areas. The state government will grant special exemptions to industries which need to be run in the wider public interest .