Bicycle Inc happy as certificate of conformity rate to be slashed by Rs 15,000 in Ludhiana

LUDHIANA: In a major relief to the city’s bicycle industry which has been under stress due to the mandatory affixing of reflectors coming into effect from January 1 this year, the fee for the certificate of conformity (COC) would soon be slashed from Rs 40,000 to Rs 25,000.
Industrialists claim a formal notification in this regard is expected soon, and this will reduce the financial burden on the businessmen who are yet to comply with the new norms.
Welcoming the move, Manjinder Singh Sachdeva, general secretary of United Cycle and Parts Manufacturers Association (UCPMA) said, “In a matter of great relief for all bicycle manufacturers and assemblers and as per the application filed by us, the COC charges are being reduced to Rs 25,000 from existing rate of Rs 40,000. This will make the process of being compliant with the standards set by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) cheaper. In another major development, team from BIS will be available at Research and Development Centre, Focal Point, Ludhiana on January 9 between 10am and 5pm, to assist the industrialists in filing the COC applications.”
Inderjit Singh Navyug, ex president of UCPMA informed that various documents required for COC application include registration proof of the firm with District Industries Centre, factory address proof, document establishing legal identity of the firm like partnership deed, and certificate of incorporation. Process flow chart showing complete manufacturing process from procurement of raw material to storage of finished products is also required, he added. Other major documents required include copies of certificates of qualification of quality control personnel, copies of test certificates of raw material, and copies of calibration certificates of testing equipment.
Notably the small scale bicycle manufacturers and traders have been opposing the new regulation mandating the installation of ten reflectors on all bicycles, because this will increase the cost of production of every bicycle by Rs 50. They are of the view that the government should defer the decision and instead take concrete efforts to bring down the cost of reflectors for the bicycle industry.