Labour pains: Thane's MSMEs operating at 10-15% capacity amid lockdown

The third of a five-part series looks at how lack of manpower and cash flow issues have put small units in dire straits despite govt announcing a Rs 3-trn package

Empty shop floors, stockpiles of unsold goods and a few dispirited, masked workers greet you as you enter the Wagle Industrial Estate in Thane, 20 km from Mumbai. Thanks to the pandemic and the prolonged lockdown, the estate’s nearly 200 manufacturing units that feed everything from engineering and electronics goods to pharmaceuticals and garments to marquee large factories, are facing an existential crisis.

Over the years, the 58-year-old estate that once was home to 800 manufacturing units, has lost its charm to high real estate costs, traffic snarls and a dearth of blue collared workers. Still, these units are the