MINISTRY OF FINANCE
(Department of Revenue)
(OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR GENERAL OF SAFEGUARDS
CUSTOMS AND CENTRAL EXCISE)
NOTIFICATION
New Delhi, the 15th March, 2016
Subject: Safeguard investigation concerning imports of “Hot-rolled flat products of non-alloy and other alloy Steel in coils of a width of 600 mm or more” into India Final Findings.
G.S.R. 308(E).—Having regard to the Customs Tariff Act, 1975 and the Customs Tariff (Identification and Assessment of Safeguard duty) Rules, 1997 thereof.
A. PROCEDURE
1. An application was filed under Rule 5 of the Customs Tariff (Identification and Assessment of Safeguard Duty) Rules, 1997 [hereinafter referred to as “Safeguard Rules”] by M/S Steel Authority of India Limited; M/S Essar Steel India Limited, and M/S JSW Steel Limited through M/S Lakshmi Kumaran & Sridharan Attorneys, New Delhi seeking imposition of Safeguard Duty on imports of “Hot-rolled flat products of non-alloy and other alloy Steel in coils of a width of 600 mm or more”, as increase in imports is causing and/or threatening to cause serious injury to the domestic producers.
2. The product under consideration is “Hot-rolled flat products of non-alloy and other alloy Steel in coils of a width of 600 mm or more” hereinafter referred to as ‘PUC’ (Product under consideration) classifiable under Chapter 72 of the Customs Tariff Act, 1975, under tariff heading 7208 and tariff item 72253090. The applicant has claimed that these products are not further worked than hot-rolled and are flat products of iron, alloy or non-alloy steel, in prime or non-prime condition having ‘as-rolled’ edge or ‘trimmed’ edge or ‘slit’ edge. These products may be pickled or non-pickled (with or without skin-pass or tempering), slit or non-slit and having nominal width of greater than or equal to 600mm. These products may be as-rolled or thermo-mechanically rolled or thermo-mechanically controlled rolled or controlled rolled. These products may have patterns in relief derived directly from rolling. These products may have been subjected to various processing steps like pickling, oiling, rewinding, temper rolling, heat treatment, etc.
The following are not included in the scope of the product under consideration:
a) Hot-rolled flat products of steel with nominal width less than 600mm;
b) API grade steel;
c) Silicon electrical steel;
d) Hot-rolled flat products of steel of spring steel quality;
e) Hot-rolled flat products of steel which are electrolytically plated or coated with zinc;
f) Hot-rolled flat products of steel otherwise plated or coated with zinc; and g) Hot-rolled flat products of stainless steel.
3. In order to satisfy the requirements under Rule 5 of the said Safeguard Rules, the information presented by the applicant was verified by on-site visit to the plants of the domestic producers to the extent considered necessary. The non-confidential version of verification report was kept in the public file. On being satisfied that the requirements of Rule 5 were satisfied, the Notice of Initiation of Safeguard investigation concerning imports of “Hot-rolled flat products of non-alloy and other alloy Steel in coils of a width of 600 mm or more” into India was issued under Rule 6 of the Customs Tariff (Identification and Assessment of Safeguard Duty) Rules, 1997 on 7th September, 2015 and was published in the Gazette of India Extraordinary on the same day.
4. A copy of the Notice of Initiation dated 7th September, 2015 along with copy of non-confidential version of the application filed by the Domestic Industry were forwarded to the Central Government, in the Ministry of Commerce, and other Ministries concerned, Governments of major exporting countries through their Embassies in India, and the Interested Parties listed below, in accordance with Rule 6(2) and 6(3) of the Customs Tariff (Identification and Assessment of Safeguard Duty) Rules, 1997. Questionnaires were also sent, on the same day, to all known domestic producers and importers and exporters and they were asked to submit their response within 30 days.
