Gujarat ceramic units threaten highway blockade, shut down

The Morbi-based cluster of ceramic tile industries has threatened a highway blockade and shut down if the Gujarat government did not address their plight, a civil society organisation said today.
"A meeting between industrialists and Gujarat government did not yield any result yesterday. If the stalemate continues, we will block the Porbandar-Delhi highway, which passes through Morbi," Morbi Bachao Samiti president Manoj Patel said.
The ceramic tile industry at Morbi which comprises over 500 units, claims to contribute around 75 per cent of ceramic tile production in the country.
Morbi's ceramic tile industry has remained shut since last week to protest frequent hikes in natural gas prices.

"Morbi faces discrimination due to the higher rate at which gas is supplied to its ceramic industries, vis-a-vis Mehsana and Sabarkantha," Patel said.
A shut down would be called in Morbi and a car rally organised from the ceramic hub to the state capital at Gandhinagar, if the Gujarat government continued to overlook the industry's demands, though the dates of the agitation have not yet been decided, he said.

He said that the Narendra Modi-led Gujarat government helps Tata, Adani and other corporate groups set up shop in Gujarat, but is unable to bail out local industries.
"Chief Minister Narendra Modi organises the 'Vibrant Gujarat' meet and markets Gujarat, but it does not help industries in Saurashtra," Patel said.

The complicated tax structure applicable to the ceramic tile industry, as compared to the marble and granite industry, has also added to the woes of the industry, he said.