Non-BIS approved bicycles, parts flooding markets: Industrialists

Ludhiana-based cycle manufacturers have raised concerns over import of non-Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) approved bicycle and its parts from China.

Importing bicycles require registration and the products must bear the ISI mark but Chinese exporters are flooding local markets without getting them registered. “The Ministry of Consumer Affairs Food and Public Distribution has set benchmarks for bicycle parts under the BIS. However, Chinese exporters have not registered any of their products with the BIS,” said Badish Jindal, president of the World MSME Forum.

“The import of these sub-standard bicycles and their parts should be banned immediately. Till the bicycle companies manufacturing these products do not get their products registered with the BIS, they should not be allowed to be exported to India. Penalty should be imposed on products which have reached the ports of India or are on the way,” added Jindal.

Vinay Kansal, manufacturer of bicycle frames, said the provision of imposing anti-dumping duty on bicycles and its parts should be implemented soon in order to prevent closure of units manufacturing bicycles.

Another bicycle manufacturer said, “Huge influx of non-BIS approved bicycles and its parts are entering India and choking our industry. The duplicate parts are 25 to 50 per cent less expensive. These non-BIS approved products have eaten more than 30 per cent of our sales,” he said.

The World MSME Forum has also written to Union Minister for Commerce Piyush Goyal in this regard.