Chennai: The S Krishnan Committee, constituted to frame guidelines for opening of select industries after 20 April and for the way forward after the lockdown ends on 3 May, is all set to submit its report to the Tamilnadu government today, based on which some important decisions are to be taken immediately, highly placed sources said.
However, industries falling within containment zones will not be allowed to function, it is learnt and this creates a doubt over functioning of companies including IT firms in and around Chennai.
Amid expectations that some relaxations in the lockdown would come into force from today as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Tamilnadu government on Sunday announced that all the restrictions put in place in the State would continue ’till further orders’.
An official release here said the Centre in its order on 15 April had announced that the States could decide on allowing functioning of new industries, commercial establishments and other services from 20 April and intimate the same to it.
In line with this, the AIADMK government, headed by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, had formed a 21-member expert committee headed by the Finance Secretary to formulate the exit strategy in a phased manner from today.
The release said, the Committee, which held its first meeting on Saturday and discussed the present situation, will submit a report along with its recommendations to the Chief Minister tomorrow.
“Based on the report, Palaniswami will take a decision and till then the present lockdown restrictions will continue”, it said.
“Till a Government Order is issued in this regard, the present restrictions on the lockdown will continue in the State”, the release said.
Official sources said the relaxations might only apply to districts where the number of corona positive cases where less than 15, and classified as Orange and Green zones, albeit with some stringent restrictions, including
wearing face masks compulsory and maintaining social distancing.
However, there might be no relaxations in 22 districts, including Chennai, where the cases were on the higher side, till May three, when the nation wide lockdown is scheduled to end.