Theattached Indian Government Policy Circular sets the deadlinefor the Pre-Shipment Inspection for shipments of waste paper to Indiafor cargoes as of 25 April 2009.

 

Following representation by BIR members and affiliates tothe Indian authorities a twenty day delay was obtained inimplementation of certain Pre-Shipment Inspection requirements. Thetwenty day delay has helped a little in enabling more stakeholders tolearn of the new rules, but the delay does not address the underlyingproblems of the certification system that remain. Problems are that:the number of inspection certification bodies approved by the IndianGovernment are too little in number and geographical coverage; that thecertification bodies are not all experts in all types of waste andscrap; and that there is no standard certificate though certain wordingis necessary to fulfil the regulatory requirements. (ref:  http://164.100.9.245/exim/2000/apndxftp0809/appnd-5.pdfand its amendments, see previous BIR News item)

 

BIR advises exporters to liaise with their consignee toensure their shipment is properly documented, as the Indian Governmentis particularly concerned that shipments "do not contain any municipalsolid waste, post consumer domestic wasteor medical waste or any other type of hazardouscontaminant" [Ref. MOEF Office Memorandum No.23-13/209-HMSD, Dated:15th April 2009]. Exporters are also advised to check for futureNotifications, Public Notices and Policy Circulars on the DGFT websiteat http://dgft.delhi.nic.in/and to check for relevant publications on the website of the Governmentof India Ministry of Environment & Forests at: http://envfor.nic.in/.