Normalcy returns but companies on guard

MUMBAI: Following an understanding reached between India and Pakistan over the weekend on the stoppage of military action, a semblance of normalcy seems to be setting in the border towns. Businesses are largely resuming full operations, and employees are returning to offices in these areas. Companies with a wider coverage of manufacturing and other processes, however, are treading with caution, ready to maintain operational flexibility and precautionary measures if the need arises. They are tracking directives from the local authorities and the situation on the ground.

As of Monday night, there were drone intrusions in some border areas, resulting in blackouts in places like Amritsar despite the ceasefire, TOI reported. Mother Dairy stated that it is fully operational as of now but continues to be watchful.


“We have operations in procurement, processing, and sales in select markets of the bordering states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Jammu & Kashmir. Following the unfortunate incident last month and the situation thereafter, we promptly issued advisories to our teams, prioritising their safety and compliance with directives from local authorities. While the situation continues to evolve, we are monitoring the developments closely and remain hopeful (for things to get better),” Manish Bandlish, managing director at Mother Dairy, told TOI.

In the case of manufacturing units, businesses typically operate in three shifts. Last week, after tensions escalated between the two countries, some FMCG companies discontinued night shifts at their factories. Dabur, which suspended the night shift for its Jammu factory, said that all the shifts are operational now and its outstation employees have also returned. “…we discontinued night operations and updated the office time so that people could leave early and get home before dark. It was a matter of a few days, and everything is back to normal now,” said Deepshikha Thakur, Chief People Officer at Bikaji Foods International.

LT Foods, maker of brands like Daawat, has two manufacturing units in Punjab’s Bhikhiwind and Varpal, both of which are fully functional, said CEO and MD Ashwani Arora. “People in general are still a bit scared, but operations are quite normal now. In terms of business, we are a bit shielded given that 65% of our business comes from exports,” Arora said.