ISLAMABAD: The country’s steelmakers have demanded the government to implement uniform standards for steel and its raw material in the country, sources revealed on Monday.
The first meeting in this regard will be held between the Pakistan Association of Large Steel Producers (PALSP) and the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) tomorrow (Tuesday) at the Ministry of Science and Technology.
Following the concern raised by steel players, the S&T minister had last week constituted a committee to deliberate the issues related to revision in marking fee for steel industry and to stop production & sale of substandard steel in the country.
The committee comprises of MoST secretary (chairman), PALSP Chairman Javed lqbal, PALSP General Secretary Syed Wajid Bukhari and PSQCA Directors Ali Bux Soomro and Yasin Akhter.
Earlier, PALSP had asked the MoST to make mandatory the provision of details to the customers on chemical and physical properties of iron and steel products.
The steelmakers also highlighted the necessity of testing and measuring equipment for re-heating furnaces, rolling mills and steel bars.
PALSP suggested that all relevant institutions such as PSQCA, Ministry of Industries and Production, Engineering Development Board and the Federal Investigation Agency should enforce the relevant laws regarding substandard steel products and its raw material.
The association pointed out that huge quantities of substandard steel bars were being used for the country’s infrastructure and housing, which was not only hurting the consumer but also posing a risk to the lives of people [due to earthquakes].
PALSP further suggested that MoST and PSQCA should have the powers to ask any electricity and gas utility companies to shut off power and gas to non-compliant producers of substandard steel bars.
