Rajasthan: 'Glass industry is facing threat from plastic lobby'

JAIPUR: Rajasthan is wooing the glass and ceramic industry by setting up dedicated industrial zones at Soniyana in Chittorgarh, Ghiloth near Neemrana and Gajner in Bikaner.

In fact, Asahi India Glass is set to invest Rs 1,400 crore at Soniyana for a new factory, said a RIICO official at the executive committee meeting of All India Glass Manufacturers' Federation (AIGMF) on Saturday.

Companies like Saint Gobain, Jaipur Tuff, Borosil, Parryware and others have been operating in the state for quite some time. But AIGMF representatives said that the state government should make policy changes to promote the glass industry. Sanjay Agarwal, president of AIGMF said that Rajasthan government's decision to allow plastic bottles for liquor packaging will neither help the industry, nor the environment.

"The Centre has already banned single-use plastic. But it is not being implemented in Rajasthan. Additionally, the state government has allowed plastic bottles for packaging liquor. Plastic is never good for human health. These policies should be reviewed," said Agarwal.

He said decisions should be taken keeping in mind the health of the people and environment.

The industry also said that per capita consumption of glass in India is at a very low level at 1.8 kg, compared to 14kg in China and 20kg in the US. On top of this, a significant quantity of the consumption is met from Chinese imports.

Rajesh Khosla, senior vice-president, AIGMF, said, "The chandelier hubs in the country has been wiped out due to imports from China. We want curbs on the imports. Otherwise, the domestic glass industry will be finished. The lights industry has been severely impacted."

Nirmal Mundra, who runs one of the Asia's largest glass technology companies in Jaipur, said, "We have huge potential in the sector. Most of the glass technology for Covid vaccine bottles were done by us. But the policies need to be industry-friendly for the sector to grow." In fact, Mundra hosted the AIGMF event in Jaipur.