In a bid to tackle increasing cases of COVID-19, the Bruhat Bangaluru Mahanagre Palike (BBMP) has issued an order to conduct tests for infections in the Bommanahalli Zone in Bangaluru. After reports of workers of garment units and factories in the area being hit with the virus were received, conducting tests among the employees has been made compulsory.
The Bommanahalli zone is said to be littered with these factories which have been working at full capacity since the restrictions have been lifted. Fear of outbreak has resulted in such a step by the authorities. Captain Manivannan P, IAS Officer and zonal coordinator for the zone have given BBMP, officials from the labour department and factories, and boiler department the authority to enter any factory and conduct tests for infection. They have been authorized under the Disaster Management Act 2005.
The order also includes mandatory possession of the required amount of masks, sanitizers, and thermal scanners in factories. Workers are to support officials through materials as well as manual support while tests are being conducted. If the cases surge still, the deputy director of the factory will be held responsible, as stated in the order issued on the 12th of September.
The step has been taken while reports of an increased risk of infections among garment workers have been released. While BBMP insists that these tests are important as the cases might spread to the rest of the city, some parties claim the testing to be wasteful. The Karnataka Small Scale Industries Association (KASSIA) and the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) have dismissed these concerns claiming that lesser cases of the COVID-19 have been reported recently because of precaution by factories. Their concern is that workers might stop attending the factories dude to fear of being falsely tested positive. Instead of forceful testing, these associations demand camps where people can come for tests voluntarily.
The zone consists of over 2.6 lakh industries of all sizes within urban and rural areas in Bengaluru, according to KASSIA. While BBMP has tested 4000 workers so far, the associations have shown concern over the lack of faith of the workers in BBMP tests. They argue that with only 60% of workers have already returned to work, losing more workers can be detrimental to these industries.
For more details, visit: http://bbmp.gov.in/
