It is as if the burglars are making hay while the sun shines. The transformer units based in the Hingna MIDC Industrial Estate here have been targeted nine times in the past two months. Of these, five units have been looted in the past fortnight and have lost electrical goods worth Rs six lakhs. The local industrialists attribute this to the understaffed police force. | |
| "We have been asked to beef up the security ourselves as the police is understaffed. But our guards are not professionals, so we largely depend on the police," said the spokesperson of the Maharashtra Transformer Manufacturer's Association (MTMA). Security agencies are expensive and there is no guarantee that thefts will not occur he added. |
| |
| The MTMA said it might ask its members to shut shop if the thieves were not brought to the books. |
| |
| "We are a cluster of 25 units with a collective turnover of Rs 15 crore. We give direct and indirect employment to some 200 people. If we are gone, others will be targeted. Will the police then act?" said a senior MTMA member. |
| |
| The MTMA has even approached local legislator Ramesh Bang. Bang has assured the association that action would be taken. |
| |
| "Nobody is denying us help. But if it comes too late, it is of no use," said a MTMA member. The burglars are even carting away the other industrial materials such as copper, aluminium, and mild steel. The industrialists here feel that the materials are landing at some nearby scrap markets and some local gangs are involved. |
| |
| Factory owners are now patrolling the area in small groups. "We move throughout the night but this is affecting our regular work. If this continues, we may have to close our units," said the Association. |
| |
|
| |
