Showdown with govt: Furnace industry to shut down units from April 10 in protest

LUDHIANA: In a big showdown between the furnace industry and state government, industrialists have decided to keep their factories closed from Monday against the alleged harassment by GST officials over purchase of scrap.
The decision was taken on Wednesday during a meeting of the furnace owners at Mandi Gobindgarh in which the office-bearers of different associations representing the furnace industry were present.
Sensing the seriousness of the matter, state finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema called a meeting on Sunday at Chandigarh in which industrialists, top officials of the state GST department will remain present. TOI has been frequently taking up the issue of high rate of GST on scrap and bogus billing which has already impacted the furnace industry.
Mahesh Gupta, president of Furnace Alliance Ludhiana, said, “The furnace industry can’t bear the harassment being meted out by the GST authorities any further, therefore from Monday we are going to shut down our units indefinitely. Everyday dozens of trucks of scrap which are on their way from other states to our factories are stopped and impounded.
This is being done even though trucks carry all valid documents for these goods, including invoice, e-way bill etc. If this is not enough, the GST department has also started installing checkpoints right outside our factories on the pretext of conducting checking, which is sheer harassment for us.”
Gupta said, “Despite our repeated efforts to convince GST authorities that we are genuinely purchasing scrap, we are being imposed heavy penalties. Since we cannot think of any solution to make ourselves heard, all the associations of furnace industry decided to shut down furnaces in Ludhiana and Mandi Gobindgarh from Monday against the injustice.”
Mohan Tayal, chairman of Furnace Alliance Ludhiana, “Due to the apathy of the state government, the GST department is acting arbitrarily and slapping heavy penalties and issuing notices to us for no fault of ours. Due to this situation, we have been forced to take the path of agitation and close our units from Monday.
We are taking time till Monday as the finance minister has called a meeting at Chandigarh on Sunday in which top officials of the state GST department will be present. We are hoping that the finance minister will make a wise decision based on the facts, and come out with decision in our favour.”