Gold hallmarking rules: Over 15,000 Gujarat jewellers join strike against HUID
Premium- The strike was called by the All India Gem and Jewellery Domestic Council (GJC) and supported by various associations across the country, including Gujarat
Gold hallmarking rules: Over 15,000 jewellers across Gujarat joined nationwide strike against the implementation of Hallmarking Unique ID (HUID) system, news agency PTI reported citing industry stakeholders.
The strike was called by the All India Gem and Jewellery Domestic Council (GJC) and supported by various associations across the country, including Gujarat.
Jigar Soni, president of the Jewellers' Association of Ahmedabad, said that nearly 6,000 jewellery shops and showroom owners joined the strike demanding a simpler hallmarking process. He said the call for strike was received well as majority of the jewellers kept their businesses shut. Besides Ahmedabad, all prominent jewellery markets in Rajkot and various other cities were shut in support of the strike.
According to PTI, industry stakeholders claimed that around 4,000 units in Rajkot and 3,500 shops and showrooms in the entire south Gujarat, including Surat.
"We are not against hallmarking. We are worried about the newly introduced HUID, because it will consume a lot of our time and the process is also not simple," said Arvind Patadiya, a prominent jeweller from Rajkot.
Under this new system, a unique code will be given to every piece of jewellery at the time of hallmarking, he said, adding that the code will help in identifying the jeweller as well as the customer.
"It will take over two weeks just to get an HUID stamp on a piece of jewellery. This will finish our business. Imagine the time and energy we will spend just to get an HUID stamp," he said. This system will eventually bring the "Inspector Raj" back, he claimed.
"To keep a check on benami transactions, the HUID also carries information about customers. We want the government to make the process more simple and fast. I am confident that the Centre would take a favourable decision," said Patadiya.
Surat-based jeweller Dipak Choksi said customers usually want them to incorporate some minor changes even after a jewellery is ready. "This is a normal practice. But, there is no clarity in this new system whether such modifications are allowed after the jewellery is stamped with the unique ID," he said.
On Saturday, the Centre had urged the jewellery body GJC to reconsider its decision to go on strike on Monday (23 August) against the implementation of mandatory hallmarking of gold jewellery.
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