Bajaj plant in Maharashtra reports 2 deaths due to COVID, 200 employees 'positive'

Guwahati: Tensions are running high in Bajaj Auto Limited's plant in Waluj, Aurangabad after 2 employees died of Covid-19 and over 200 tested positive. The first case at the plant was reported on June 6 last.

According to media reports, about 20 days later, the cases have continued to claimed at a dramatic rate. At the same time, two of the plant's employees, Sanjay Sapkal and Vitthal Sawant, with underlying comorbid conditions hypertension and diabetes, succumbed to death. While Sapkal was working on the engine assembly line at the company's motorcycle division, Savant was on the three-wheeler assembly line.

Taking cognizance of the severity of the outbreak, the company has informed workers that all plant operations will be shut on Saturday and Sunday; with the exception of exports, dispatch and spares department.

The plant began operations on April 24 after a long period of shutdown due to the coronavirus-triggered lockdown, and it has been reported that the employees were administered doses of homeopathic medicine as 'protection' against the virus. After the first case emerged on June 6, the company took the necessary steps of contact tracing, testing, and self-isolation, as per the Government-prescribed protocol. It has also been reported that the entire plant was sanitized after the emergence of COVID cases.

Bajaj produces the Bajaj RE brand of three-wheelers, the Platina, CT100, and Qute from the Waluj plant, which is its largest.

The company in a release said that it will continue to provide all support including medical assistance to affected employees. "We at Bajaj Auto, like the country at large, are now learning to live with the virus. We will continue our normal business operations while taking all necessary safety measures, as the alternative is to shut down our operations with 'no work no pay' which will have a drastic impact on our employees and supply chain", it added.

Also Watch: #LetsTalk: The Power of Stories on Paper