From January 1, 2024, local footwear manufacturers at Tiljala, Topsia, Tangra, Bantala and Boralighat are set to come under the compulsory certification scheme of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
On Friday, the officials of BIS Kolkata branch II at Sector V in Salt Lake asked around 30 local footwear manufacturers to comply with the BIS quality control norms for selling their products at an event called Manak Manthan.
As per the new norms, the national standard control body will stamp BIS marks on thelocal footwear products provided that they meet the standardised specifications like slip and abrasion resistance, flexing endurance, heel attachment strength and use of chemicals.
Footwear makers fear that the manufacturing cost will go up to meet the specifications. “The compliance may put a burden on us and it may result in downsizing of workers at manufacturing units,” said Birendra Paik, a manufacturer at Bantala. Md Arman, a manufacturer at Tiljala, said, “We are trying to meet the specifications as mandated by BIS. We want the compliance time to be extended further.” However, the BIS will reduce its marking fees by 80% for micro scale footwear manufacturers, said Najruna Sultana, a standard promotion officer.
“The quality control aims to ensure that the footwear products meet the industry standards and are safe and comfortable for consumers. In July this year, the department of promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT) under the central ministry issued a quality control order bringing total 27 footwear products under compulsory certification scheme. From January 1, 2024, the BIS stamp will be mandatory to manufacture and sell footwear products in Kolkata,” Anindya Chakrabarti, senior director and head, BIS Kolkata, said.