Chandigarh, May 14 (IANS): To facilitate the much-needed economic revival, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, here on Thursday, allowed tiny and cottage industries in non-containment mixed-use areas of Ludhiana to resume operations as part of re-opening of bigger industries that depended on small units for components.

The resumption of operations in these small units, which normally have labourers living in the vicinity or on the premises, would be subject to requirements of access control and strict compliance with Covid-19 standard operating procedures, the Chief Minister said.

The Chief Minister said several requests had been received from industry associations for allowing opening of industries in mixed land-use areas, with access control in non-containment zones of the Ludhiana district, subject to adherence to Covid-19 guidelines.

Industry Minister Sunder Sham Arora had said first small units should be allowed to open to enable the bigger industries to start operations, he added.

The Chief Minister said he had come to know that industry in certain industrial areas in Ludhiana had not opened despite permission to operate.

Despite permission, only 6,900 unit in Ludhiana had resumed operations, he said and added, many couldn't start works as they were dependent on small and tiny cottage industries for components.

Ludhiana, an industrial city, has around 95,000 MSMEs that offer more than 10 lakh skilled and non-skilled industrial jobs. The micro and tiny units in the mixed land-use areas constitute 50 per cent of the industries and employed around 5-6 lakh workers.