Industrial units producingessential commodities in Assam will have to apply to respective deputy commissioners for seeking permission to restart manufacturing amid the lockdown, Industry and Transport Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said on Thursday.The deputy commissioners in consultation with health officials may grant permission only to those industries producing essential commodities like biscuits, soaps, sanitisers, pharmaceutical products, fertilisers and pesticides.So far, 137 industrial units have reopened in the state after getting the go-ahead from DCs.Patowary also said the transport department has facilitated the mobilisation of trucks at 12 locations for unloading rakes of rice, foods items and cement among others, and 800 trucks loaded with essential commodities have been dispatched to different destinations in Assam.A nodal officer each from the North Est Frontier Railway, state police, transport, food & civil supplies departments have been ensuring smooth transportation of goods and trucks, he said.The Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) has provided 76 buses, which are coordinating with district administration, hospitals, police and municipal bodies, the minister added.
