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SAIL, TISCO move WTO court over US complaint

SAIL and TISCO have moved the WTO court in Geneva in protest against the complaint lodged by six US steel producers that the companies were dumping HR coils on American shores.

The Development Commissioner of Iron and Steel, R K Prasannan, said on Thursday that after moving the WTO court, the two companies would approach the US ministry of commerce to explain their position.

Prasannan told reporters in Calcutta that six US steel makers had lodged complaint on November 13 that Indian HR coil producers were dumping the product. They demanded that the US should impose an anti-dumping duty in addition to a countervailing duty on Indian HR coils.

The US government would have 20 clear days to admit the complaint from that date.

The Indian companies which would be mostly affected by this move would be SAIL, TISCO and Essar.

Prasannan said the contention of the US complainants were that the Indian government was subsidising HR coil export by way of the DEPB scheme.

He said if the US government slams the anti-dumping and countervailing duties, then cost of Indian HR coils per tonne would shoot up from $265 to $500 thereby affecting exports.

The US had been a major market for India's export of the product, he said.

Earlier, EU had also lodged a similar complaint, he said.

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