The announcement of lockdown by the district administration here in Maharashtra to curb the rising coronavirus cases has led to a "trust deficit" between local industry and its customers, causing business losses to small manufacturing units, industry stakeholders said.
A lockdown with a slew of restrictions will be in force here for nine days from Friday and cover certain industries. Only essential services will be allowed to operate during this period, according to the collector's order.
A Waluj-based auto parts manufacturer said it is unable to meet the demand of its customers due to the restrictions.
"We supply auto parts to Pune, Nashik (Maharashtra), Hosur (Tamil Nadu) and many other cities. One of my customers from Pune was in need of some parts and we can't fulfil the demand as our industry will remain shut. Hence the customer has withdrawn the order," the unit's director Rajesh Mandhani told PTI.
The company has suffered a loss of Rs 15 lakh because of this, he claimed.
Mandhani said they are uncertain if they will be able to get business in these times.
When contacted, Marathwada Association of Small Scale Industries and Agriculture (MASSIA) president Abhay Hanchanal told PTI that after the announcement of lockdown, a "trust deficit" is growing between the industry and customers and this is dangerous.
"This is the issue in Mandhanis case. We don't have any specific guidelines about running our businesses during the lockdown which is increasing the uncertainty," he said.
