MG Motor to shut Halol unit for 7 days to curb COVID-19 spread

MG Motor India on Tuesday said it will shut its manufacturing unit at Halol in Gujarat for seven days to curb the spread of COVID-19 as the second wave of the pandemic is sweeping across the country.

The company follows Hero MotoCorp, which had last week announced temporarily stopping of operations at all of its six manufacturing facilities located at Dharuhera and Gurugram, Haryana; Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh; Haridwar in Uttarakhand; Neemrana in Rajasthan, and Halol in Gujarat along with its Global Parts Center (GPC) at Neemrana as COVID-19 cases surged in India.

"We have decided to close our plant in Halol @Vadodra for seven days to break the chain of COVID.

"And our employees are committed to stay safe and take care of community in these harsh times. May there be more force with us!," MG Motor India president and managing director Rajeev Chaba said in a tweet.

The plant closure will be from April 29 to May 5.

The company's manufacturing facility in Halol has an annual production capacity of 80,000 vehicles and employs nearly 2,500 workforce.

It produces its SUV range, including Hector, Hector Plus and Gloster from the plant.

Last week, the company had joined hands with Moksi-based Devnandan Gases Pvt Ltd to increase production of medical oxygen as various hospitals across cities struggle to cope with demand from patients.

Photograph: Rajesh Karkera/Rediff.com