The anti-dumping duty imposed provisionally by the EC in April last will have to be ratified by a simple majority among 15 members of EU before October 9, but with eight members already opposing it, the levy is likely to be dropped, industry sources say.

If the anti-dumping proceeding is dropped, it will be for the second time that it is being shelved. The levy had earlier been dropped in May last after nine EU council members opposed it.

On its part, government has left no stone unturned in its effort to get anti-dumping proceeding dropped, textile secretary Shyamal Ghosh told PTI. ``I have personally met the ambassadors of EU member nations and apprised them of India's position,'' he said.

Ghosh has also pointed out at the repetitive anti-dumpingproceedings initiated by the EC on UCF imports from India. ``We have told them that the action is blatantly unfair,'' the secretary said. Besides India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Egypt and China have also been hit by the anti-dumping duty imposed by the EC.

However, EC, while deciding to make provisional duties definitive on July 28, recommended that proceedings against Turkey be dropped.

In April, EC decided to reimpose provisional anti-dumping duty on UCF imports.