Maruti Suzuki Shuts Down Plants To Make Oxygen For Medical Needs

Maruti Suzuki, the country's largest car maker, will shut down its manufacturing units in Haryana to make oxygen gas available for medical needs, the company said in a stock exchange filing. Suzuki Motor has also decided to shut down its manufacturing unit in Gujarat, Maruti Suzuki added.

The company advanced its annual maintenance shutdown to May 1 through May 9 from earlier plan of June, Maruti Suzuki said while adding that it is committed to support government in diverting oxygen for saving lives.

"As part of the car manufacturing process, Maruti Suzuki uses a small amount of oxygen in its factories while relatively much larger quantities are used by the manufacturers of components. In the current situation, we believe that all available oxygen should be used to save lives," Maruti Suzuki said in a press release.

The company has been informed that Suzuki Motor Gujarat has taken the same decision for its factory, Maruti Suzuki said.

India's new Covid deaths hit an overwhelming peak with 3,293 people dying in the last 24 hours. New cases rose by over 3.6 lakh, a global high, pushing the total cases to over 1.79 crore. The crisis has left India grappling for oxygen and medicines.

This is the seventh straight day that over three lakh cases have been recorded in India, the second worst-hit country after the US. The fresh deaths, marking the deadliest day of the pandemic in the country, take its total fatalities to 2,01,187.

Maruti Suzuki shares traded 0.44 per cent higher at Rs 6,587 after announcing its decision to shut down plants, underperforming the Sensex which was up 1.6 per cent.