Printers’ Associations stage demonstration in Coimbatore

Members of the printers’ associations in Coimbatore staged a protest emphasizing various demands on Thursday.

A mass demonstration was organised in front of the Coimbatore South Taluk Office on behalf of the Coimbatore District Printers' Association stressing the various demands of their department. Coimbatore and Pollachi Printers’ Associations participated. Kumaravel, Chairman, Coimbatore District Printers’ Association presided over the protest.

The protest was held to condemn the Union Government's increase in the GST on most items from 12 percent to 18 percent, and the hike in prices of ordinary paper to Rs 7,000 per tonne, and artboard paper to Rs 50,000 per tonne. 

They also demanded that the price of paper, printing plates and chemicals used for printing should be controlled. “Paper mills should not increase the fares daily. The Central Government should reduce the GST,” the protesters demanded.

 The demonstration also called for a ban on paper exports. More than 100 protesters chanted slogans and carried banners in support of their demands.

Speaking to reporters, Kumaravel, chairman of the Coimbatore District Printers' Association, said, “The Central Government has raised the GST to 18 percent at a time when the industry is slowly recovering from the pandemic.” He said that they had repeatedly represented the same to the Centre but no decision had been reached. 

At the same time, he said, paper mills have raised the price of paper to an all-time high. “So the government should reduce the GST and fix the right price, the central and state governments should call the paper mills for negotiation. The export of paper should be banned to control paper prices,” he added.