Representations will be made to the Union Textile Minister Darshana Jardosh next week by stakeholders in the Surat textile industry along with Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SGCCI), against the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) code which will be implemented from April 3 on domestic and imported yarns.
Different stakeholders of the industry, including Pandesara powerloom association president Ashish Gujarat, unanimously decided in a meeting led by SGCCI president Himanshu Bodawala to make representations to Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, Minister of Chemical and Fertilizer Mansukh Mandaviya and Union Minister of State for Textile Darshana Jardosh instead of carrying out protests.
It would not be possible to stock, produce or sell yarns without a BIS certificate, once the code comes into practice from April 3. “With the BIS code coming into effect from April 3, there will be a shortage of yarns in the market. This will also affect lakhs of powerloom weavers and labourers who will not get yarn to run the factories. The yarn prices will also go up, due to which many weaving units will be forced to shut down and even lakhs of textile workers will become jobless,” said SGCCI President Himanshu Bodawala, adding they will also make representations to Gujarat BJP president C R Paatil, too.
Quality control on different types of like polyester continuous filament yarn, polyester partially oriented yarn, polyester staple fibre yarn, polyester industrial yarn and grey spun polyester yarn had been declared by the Ministry of Chemical and Fertilisers last year, effective from April 3.
“We have also come to know that if a yarn without BIS code is found by the authorities from the factory or any other units, the merchants would attract a penalty that will be 10 times the value of the seized yarns,” said Bodawala.