Industrialists and authorities of the SEZ (Special Economic Zone), in Bhairahawa, have entangled in conflict over the provision of export. The provision requires industries operating there to export 60 per cent of their total products in the international market, but industries like Shakti Minerals have failed to comply with the requirement.
Because of that, the SEZ has restricted Shakti Minerals from selling its products in the domestic market since Nov 28 last year. The industries have been producing milestone greed, powders and other byproducts in selling them in the domestic market.
Chandika Prasad Bhatta, SEZ chief executive officer, said that they prohibited the Shakti because it couldn’t fully comply with the standards. “The industry has failed to meet its export standards for the last three years,” he said.
The data shows that Shakti Minerals exported 23.84 per cent of its total products to India in FY 2020/21, 2.56 per cent in last fiscal year and 11.51 per cent in the current fiscal year. “Industries in SEZ are required to export 60 per cent of their total production, but what they are doing now falls short of the legal standards,” Bhatta added.
But the industrialists had their own reasons for not being able to meet the standards. Deepak Jha, Project Manager of an industry there, said that SEZ authorities had provided them with nothing to operate the industries.
“We have filed writ against the SEZ because they haven’t provided us any service whatsoever in line with the regulation in the regulation, because of which we have been unable to fulfill the requirements,” he said.
Besides Shakti Minerals, five other industries, including Brilliant Lightning, Vistar Global, Panchakanya SS Export, S Piriform and Jaibuddha Metal Craft, have been operating there.
The industries can sell all their products in local markets only on their first year of operation.
Three industries — Shakti Minerals, Brilliant Lightning and Vistar Global — had already crossed their relaxation period for selling their products in the local markets. While Vistar Global was able to meet the standards, Brilliant Lightning was able to exported 58.73 per cent of its total products.
Source : TRN,
