Since Steel and Steel Products Quality Control Order 2014 was proposed, the merchants' association BIMA, FAM and more recently FII have galvanised efforts to revoke it. Implementation of this order is said to jeopardise the quality of supplies, cost of production and international business relationships.

As per the proposed Steel and Steel Products (Quality Control) Order, several steel products would require mandatory Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) registration, which currently takes about 10-12 months of processing.

Anguished merchants see this as an unnecessary addition to the process terming it as ‘Inspector Raj'. The fact that this would highly affect the imports of Hot Rolled steel, the merchants would be forced to pay 20% more to the local suppliers, which in the longer run would affect the customers.

In the month of May this issue was extensively discussed in a meeting attended by Steel users, Traders, lmporters, Agents, Japanese & South Korean trading Giants and other Associations like Wire Manufacturers Association, Tin plate Association, Cold Rolled Steel Manufacturers Association.

A press note of this meeting stated, "The (Quality Control) order states, the objective was to control quality of Steel in lndia, but in effect, it will monopolies the business and benefits local Steel mills who will increase the price and the user industry will be hit hard. Ultimately, it is expected that the steel price will go up substantially."

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