The Hindu Business Line : Faster certification for imported cement

New Delhi, July 26 In order to bridge the gap between demand and supply of cement in the country, the Bureau of Indian standards (BIS) has put the process of certification of foreign cement manufacturers on the fast track. Certification would now be granted in two months from the date of application.

This step would not only facilitate speedy imports but would also help in controlling prices, the Secretary in the Department of Industrial Policy and promotion (DIPP), Dr Ajay Dua, told presspersons here on Thursday.

BIS certification for cement is required under the Cement Quality Certification Order, which is in operation since 1999-2000. As of now, a total of eight manufacturers based in Bhutan and Bangladesh are certified by the BIS. Another seven to eight applications have been submitted by Pakistan-based companies, Dr Dua said.

“While the demand for cement is growing at around 10-12 per cent annually the supply is increasing by around 8 per cent per annum,” he said. “Previously, BIS certification took a long time. Now a separate cell has been formed and more people have been deployed on the job.

“Earlier only manufacturers from Bangladesh and Bhutan had applied for certification but they did not have enough capacities to meet the demand-supply mismatch in India. Now big manufacturers from Pakistan have also applied for certification and with increased availability, prices of cement are expected to soften in the coming months,” Dr Dua said, adding that a number of State Governments too had requested for easing cement import norms in view of rising prices.

Meanwhile, the Government is also examining whether cement companies have formed a cartel to raise prices, he said.

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