Ceat Tyres, whose Bhandup plant in suburban Mumbai was affected by a massive fire on February 23, has recommenced production, the company announced at a press conference today in Mumbai. The plant’s operations were suspended for a brief period due to a fire in its raw materials store on Sunday.

The Bhandup facility manufactures farm, truck and off-the-road tyres and contributes approximately 30 percent to Ceat’s total capacity, the company said. Ceat said that there had been no loss of life due to the accident. One person who received light burns is being treated at a hospital and is expected to resume work in a week’s time.

Anant Goenka, the company’s MD, said, “We are trying to find out the cause of the fire and will take corrective action so that such an incident doesn’t reoccur. We stringently adhere to all safety measures and standards prescribed at all our manufacturing facilities and are always striving towards creating a better and safe work environment for our employees.”

The Bhandup plant is reportedly one of Ceat’s oldest plants and is spread over 23 acres.

Photograph : The Ceat plant by Subhash Simhudu