Madurai, July 31 (KNN) Miffed with extension of lockdown till August 31 without further relaxation by the state government, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) have strongly opposed the extension of the lockdown here.

“Extension of lockdown without any relaxation is totally against the unlock 3.0 guidelines of the central government,” said Madurai District Tiny and Small-Scale Industries Association (MADITSSIA) president B Muruganantham.

Anguished over the state government's order, Muruganantham said that lockdown since March-end, has not only shut down industrial activity but it has also ruined stakeholders including the workforce and among others.

“Even a single day extension of the lockdown beyond this date may only damage the situation from bad to worse,” a statement quoted him as saying.

He further said that the economy is totally shattered and the revenue of MSME sector is hit very hard. MSMEs are already in doldrums and the extension in the current model without relaxing public transport and the e-pass system will be detrimental to the sector.

''People who have access to private transport are easily commuting within the city whereas poor daily wage workers are finding it difficult to commute between workplace and home,'' he noted.

Commenting on the e-pass, Muruganantham said and termed e-pass a burden to the official machinery and encourages favouritism and red-tapism.

“Industries are ready to obey all the other conditions stipulated in the extended lockdown,'' he asserted.