M A I N   N E W S

Sukhbir agrees to simplify e-trip norms
Jangveer Singh/TNS

Chandigarh, July 30
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today indicated it was ready to listen to and resolve any grievance of traders regarding the implementation of the e-trip regime.

SAD president and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal held meetings with various industry associations and agreed to simplify norms or consider doing away with the measure for a particular product. The new e-trip regime is likely to stay with slight modifications.

Representatives of various associations met the Deputy Chief Minister today and expressed their fears about the e-trip system which envisages transparency in the sale and purchase of goods above Rs 50,000 in the state. Earlier this system, under which manufacturers are duty bound to inform the Excise Department about the movement of goods, was applicable to goods above Rs 3 lakh.

The Deputy Chief Minister said a very small quantity of manufacturers had been taken under the ambit of the new e-trip regime and that the fears of most of them had been allayed.

He said cotton and oil traders had welcomed the measure and that even the apprehensions of the iron and steel industry had been removed.

He said negotiations were on with the plywood industry for a lump sum system and that that nut-bolt industry had agreed for a e-trip system through transporters.

Sukhbir admitted that there was some resistance from yarn businessmen of Ludhiana who felt the system in the present form was not suitable for their business. After a preliminary round of meetings with the Deputy CM, the yarn businessmen have been asked to hold meetings with the excise and taxation officials following which the matter will be taken up with the Deputy CM again.

Former Improvement Trust chairman MM Vyas, who accompanied a delegation of yarn businessmen including Arun Gupta and Rajeev Oswal, told The Tribune that the delegation had told the CM that the new e-trip regime was not practical and would be difficult to implement in its present form. Vyas said the time limit of six hours for dispatched goods to reach their destination after being billed was not practical in a city like Ludhiana where they had to be moved in rehris to the transport areas.

Other traders also indicated that things could be resolved if the e-trip limit for generation of bills for all goods above Rs 50,000 was raised. They said small traders would not be able to cut repeated bills on the Excise Department server and did not want to share passwords with their employees.