The Okhla Printers Association (OPPA) has taken a major step toward its long-term vision with the opening of a new office in Okhla. Established in 2018, the association represents printers and print providers from the Okhla industrial hub and aims to address issues at both government and industry levels.
“In 2018, when we formed the association, our vision was that we would raise the issues of printer bans in a larger perspective at the government level and at other levels as well,” said MN Pandey, treasurer of OPPA. “At the same time, we have also included providers in this, because they also have problems.”
Pandey said the main purpose of the new office is to create a training centre that will serve as a hub for skill-building. “We will train the workers, we will train the managers, we will do things like this. And we will also train the children in the surrounding area,” he said. “So this is our vision. For this, the office is needed.”
The association hopes the new space will strengthen its outreach to smaller printers across Okhla. “We are taking all of them with us because no one listens to chhote printers. Neither the officials, nor the electricians nor anyone else will listen to them. If we have the numbers, we can do better for them,” Pandey said.
Pandey identified skilled labour as one of the biggest challenges in the printing sector today. “The main challenge is that we are not getting skilled labour,” he said. “There is no shortage of technology. If new technology is coming, or if someone has to move, then we have to train them. We have to train our members, plus for the members, we have to train our children. We have to get them inducted.”
The association also plans to use the new office as a base for future events and workshops. Pandey said. “We will have a Diwali party around 26-28 December 2025. We will also organise seminars.”
The OPA office will become fully functional on 1 January 2026. His message to the printing community is one of calm and resilience. “People should not panic,” he said. “Whatever comes should be understood slowly and should be faced. If something is going wrong, it is for the better. So don’t panic – we are there.”
