Over 10,000 industrial units in Pune district have been asked to remain shut on the polling day. The district collectorate and the Industrial Safety and Health department have directed the managements of various factories to declare a "paid holiday" on October 13 in order to enable their workers and staffers to vote. The collectorate has issued a warning that industrial units that do not adhere to the directives will face criminal proceedings.

Both the collectorate and the Industrial Safety and Health department have issued the orders under Section 135 (B) of the Representation of People Act, 1951. District collectorate Chandrakant Dalvi said the Election Commission has made it mandatory for industrial units to declare a full day holiday on October 13. "This will enable the employees desiring of casting their vote to exercise their right as part of the democratic process. Anybody wanting to vote should not be prevented from voting," he said.

"If any worker or workers of any industrial unit complains to us that his company has not given them a paid holiday, we will have no option but to lodge criminal complaints against the errant industrial units," the collector said, adding that his staffers would also be keeping watch on industrial units ignoring the directives. Dalvi said during Lok Sabha election, it was found that many industrial units had remained open.

Additional director B D Chavan of Industrial Safety and Health, Pune, said it had been observed that many industrial units, factories, offices, departmental stores and the like either provide half-day holidays or grant two hour leave for voting purpose. "But this time Election Commission has insisted that there should be full day paid holiday. Accordingly, we have issued directives to factories coming under us to remain shut on the polling day," he said.

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