Steel City Chambers protest against proposed GST rates hike

Bhilai, Nov 25:
Steel City Chamber of Commerce Bhilai and Team CAIT Bhilai registered their protest against the proposed hike in GST rates on some commodities. Office bearers of the traders’ organisations including Gyanchand Jain (President), Ramkishan Mundra, Suresh Ratnani, Ram Kumar Gupta, Vijay Bhite, Shekhar Sangewar, Ajay Kanojia, Shrikant Upadhyay, Amar Sonkar, Deepak Kumar, Uttam Rao, Inderjit Singh and others submitted a memorandum at the office of District Collector (Durg). The memorandum addressed to the Prime Minister raises strong objections to the proposed increase in the rates of GST. Gyanchand Jain expressed his gratitude to the traders and appealed them to participate in the upcoming programmes of Team CAIT. There is a possibility of a bigger movement again very soon in protest against the increased rates of this GST, which is proposed to be implemented from January, 2022. Expressing deep anguish over the non-resolution of the lease renewal of commercial establishments in Bhilai Township for the last 12 years, Jain handed over letters to the Collector Durg which are addressed to the Principal Secretary, Government of India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Copies of the support letters given by MP Vijay Baghel, Devendra Yadav MLA Bhilai, then MP Ramesh Bais, then MP Tamradhwaj Sahu, etc have been attached with this memorandum. Jain said that in the presence of MLA Bhilai, the decisions were taken in the meeting held in 2018. Later, the traders had discussed the issue with Chairman of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) Soma Mandal and she had given assurance for positive initiatives but no action has been taken till now.
There is deep resentment among the 4500 traders of the city. They are troubled by the policies of the government and are getting physical, economic and mental pains. Jain requested the Prime Minister to consider the memorandum submitted by the then Revenue Minister and MLA Bhilai Prem Prakash Pandey during PM’s visit to Bhilai and direct to the concerned departmental ministers and officers to resolve the issue.