India’s leading corporate houses as well as multi-national companies (MNCs) have issued safety advisories for their employees, as tensions between India and Pakistan escalate.
Manufacturers who have plants in Punjab, Rajasthan and parts of Gujarat have issued advisories regarding dos and don’ts, industry participants said.
“The services sector firms have largely issued advisories in north and west, asking employees to work from home. There are fewer advisories from these companies for their southern employees. But the challenge is for the factories and production units which companies would not want to totally shut down for now,” said one of sources .
To the extent possible, companies are asking their employees to work from home. Companies are also taking precautions to ensure safe transport of employees who must be in the plant/factory, sources said.
These companies have also told senior executives to put off overseas work trips until the situation stabilises. In some cases, they have been asked to postpone domestic visits to factories or company establishments in border states.
The companies have also asked their managements to ensure that factories follow the government’s security directives.
“Emergency evacuation protocols are being followed by such companies along with mock drills with essential staff on how to respond during an emergency.” the source cited above said.
Several companies from sectors such as pharma, food and beverage have plants in the north and western states of Punjab, Rajasthan and the Kutch region in Gujarat, which share border with Pakistan.
Companies which have issued such advisories include American Express, Panasonic India and AXA Global business services, reports said.
“Companies are certainly in wait-and-watch mode but as of now, there would not be any significant impact on their production. However, if situations further escalate, some of the supply chains may be disrupted,” said another source.
On May 8 night, India repulsed waves of Pakistani missiles and drone attacks aimed at border areas in Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat and military bases in Jammu, Pathankot, Udhampur and other locations.
A day earlier, India launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours , hitting nine terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir two weeks after 26 people were killed in a terror strike in Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22. Two of the terrorists were Pakistani citizens, authorities have said.