MUMBAI, February 23: The Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission (MRTPC) has initiated a formal investigation into charges of cartelisation and restrictive trade practices in pricing of soda-ash, allegedly indulged in by three major manufacturers.MRTPC's action follows a recent complaint lodged by the All India Glass Manufacturers Federation (AIGMF) on behalf of soda-ash consuming units against the three makers, accusing them of joining hands for artificially jacking up its prices. The manufacturers include Tata Chemicals, Gujarat Heavy Chemicals and Birla VXL India, who together control 87 per cent of the product's market in the country, a release issued by the federation here on Monday said.
The federation has pleaded with the commission to quash the ban on import of the commodity from ANSAC, an overseas company which markets US soda-ash to consumers in about 50 countries. "For years, we have been complaining about the tactics of Indian soda-ash manufacturers, who have been working as acartel and have raised prices in tandem, more than doubling them over the past four years," AIGMF president RK Paliwal said. After the government lowered tariffs a year ago, some domestic glass- manufacturers imported a cargo of soda-ash from ANSAC.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
