Maruti Suzuki India extends maintenance shut down until May 16

The country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India on Saturday said it has extended the maintenance shutdown of its plants till May 16 amid the ongoing surge in COVID-19 cases across the country.

The company had last month said it was advancing the annual plant maintenance shutdown to May 1-May 9, which was originally scheduled for June.

"... The maintenance shutdown, which was till the 9th May 2021, is being extended till the 16th May 2021 keeping in view the current pandemic situation," Maruti Suzuki said in a regulatory filing.

It, however, said some activities will continue in the plants located at Gurgaon and Manesar in Haryana.

Suzuki Motor Gujarat has also taken a similar decision, the filing added.

MSI had earlier stated that as part of the car manufacturing process, it uses a small amount of oxygen in its factories, while relatively much larger quantities are used by the manufacturers of components.