Maruti resumes production of cars

India’s largest car maker Maruti Suzuki resumed production of vehicles on Tuesday afternoon at its two manufacturing plants in Haryana after two days of temporary suspension due to supply disruptions caused by the violent Jat agitation. The company suffered a production loss of 10,000 units. “Maruti Suzuki has resumed production of vehicles at its facilities in Gurgaon and Manesar, starting Tuesday (second half). The supply of components has started gradually,” the company said.

Maruti Udyog Kamgar Union general secretary Kuldeep Janghu said, “We will try to make up for the production loss to ensure deliveries to buyers who have been waiting to get their car.” At the BSE, its stock price closed at Rs 3,492.5 on Tuesday, down 0.87 per cent from the previous day. The BSE Sensex declined by 1.59 per cent. The firm was forced to stop production at its Gurgaon and Manesar plants on Saturday afternoon. The agitation in Rohtak and nearby areas had disrupted supplies of certain components to the two plants.

The combined output from Manesar and Gurgaon plants is currently about 5,000 vehicles per day. Maruti is estimated to have loss production of 10,000 vehicles as a result. The plant is closed for a weekly off every Sunday.

Maruti Suzuki had seen a low growth of 0.8 per cent in January sales. The company had attributed this to a lower number of working days last month. Its February growth may also be muted owing to the output loss.

The blockades and agitation had also disrupted dispatches of finished vehicles at Maruti Suzuki and Hero MotoCorp. Hero MotoCorp, the country’s largest two wheeler maker, has two of its four manufacturing facilities in Haryana’s Gurgaon and Dharuhera.