Riot-hit Maruti plant to restart next week: Nikkei

INDIA-MARUTI-MANESAR-PLANT:Riot-hit Maruti plant to restart next week: Nikkei

India's largest car maker Maruti Suzuki India Ltd will restart production at its Manesar factory early next week, after closing the plant following a deadly riot last month, the Nikkei business daily said on Wednesday.

The 550,000 vehicles-a-year factory in north India where Maruti makes its best-selling Swift hatchback has been idle since the clash between workers and management in July that left one dead, scores injured and parts of the plant burned out.

Production at the plant will take one to two months to return to pre-shutdown levels as the Indian carmaker ensures the safety of the facility and locates new workers, according to an unnamed Maruti official, the Nikkei reported.

Maruti also plans to enlist about 500 security guards to help ensure the safety of the plant, the Nikkei added.

"This announcement did not come from us, so we are unable to comment on its validity," said Ei Mochizuki, a spokesman for Maruti's Japanese parent Suzuki Motor Corp.

Shares of Suzuki ticked up 0.7 percent against a flat Nikkei 225 average in early Tokyo trade.