Profile

Indian Small Scale Storage Battery and Components Manufacturers’ Association is an Association of all India fame. After coming into being on 17.04.1973 with 29 members on its roll, it got itself registered under the West Bengal Societies Registration Act on 27.06.1974. Because of signal services rendered to its members, the Association grew in stature, Small Scale Storage Battery Industries from every corner of the country having subscribed to it. It has now more than 200 members on its roll.

It would be interesting to note and an eye-opener as well to those SS Industries who are mulling over formation of an Association as to what prompted some little known Small Scale Storage Battery Industries to form the Association.

To know the story one has to go back to the sixties---1965 to be precise, when one of our esteem member came into existence and was intrepid enough to move the court lone-handed with financial support from 4 to 5 SS Storage Battery Industries, raising the pertinent question as to why differential treatment should be meted out to the SS Industries established w.e.f. June, 1962 and thereafter by virtue of the Rule that provided by way of an amendment, in the wake of enforcement of Central Excise duty in 1962 on the five-worker-bar SS Storage Battery Industries, to the effect that SS Storage Battery Industries that were in existence before June, 1962 would pay a compounded Central Excise levy of Rs.300/= per month whereas those established thereafter would have to pay 10% ad valorem duty. That the lopsided rule attracted the basic tenet of the constitution that enunciates equality before Law, was proved beyond doubt with the court-judgement having been pronounced in favour of the complainant quashing thereby the faulty ad valorem duty of 10% and ordering enforcement of compounded levy of Rs.300/= p.m. for all.

This historic judgement brought tremendous all India fame for the few industrial units who contributed their mite in shaping the fate of hundreds of impoverished small scale industries located in every corner of the country and this unparalleled exercise infused in the minds of the battery people a sense of oneness that is the guiding spirit of an association.

The judgement was as if a spark that goaded them into doing greater things culminating into their holding of numerous meetings with the Development Commissioner and other higher-ups in the ministries for grant of relief by way of, among other things, doing away with the five-worker-bar system which ultimately was abolished during the Prime Ministership of Mr. Morarji Desai.

While carrying on the exercise the idea of forming an association flashed in their minds and given the credibility, selflessness and efficiency--the virtues they inculcated, they needed little prompting to rein in the like minded SS Storage Battery Industries under the umbrella of an Association.

And that is how the Association was formed in 1973 and got registered in 1974. After coming into being as a registered Association the immediate task before the Association was to get the menacing five-worker-bar rule abolished. As already stated, they exerted themselves fully and got the rule abolished during the regime of the Janata Govt. (1977-79).

Thereafter the Association never looked back. Its achievements brought home accolades galore, so much so, that large number of SS Storage Battery Industries from different corners of the country became its member to justify its All India Stature.

The Large Scale Storage Battery Industries have always been a great threat to the existence of the Small Scale Storage Battery Industries. They are never weary of hatching intrigues against the Small Scale Storage Battery Industries for bringing about their ruin. But our Association has been fighting a relentless battle against them—be it against the menacing claim of one of the employee of a Large Sector Industry, who declared that they were out to thrive at the cost of the SS Storage Battery Industries and that every Small Scale Storage Battery unit carrying on business in any corner of the country is their formidable enemy or against the machination of a few large scale Storage Battery Industries and one or two smelters who were out to destroy the Small Scale Storage Battery Industries by managing to bring in a Large-Scale-Industry friendly Battery (Management and handling ) Rules, 2001. It was this Association who fought a fierce battle against the move to annihilate the small scale storage battery sector to fulfil their monopolistic ambition.

The Association considers all Storage Battery Units located in different parts of the country as members of a stupendous family of battery people. That is why whenever trouble plagued the battery men or any portentous happening was on the offing, as in the case of issuance of tender documents for disposal of scrap battery/hazardous waste to selected four parties, allegedly in pursuance of Supreme Court order dtd. 14.10.2003 by Bombay Port Trust, or framing of draft battery rules without representation from the SS Storage Battery Sector, this association registered vociferous protests and did not waste time to inform all Battery Associations about this impending danger and warned them to be on their guard to fight the menace.

The Association by virtue of their ceaseless efforts in making series of correspondence and attending meetings with the Finance Minister, Govt. of W.B., Commissioner, Commercial Taxes, and other senior officers of the Govt. of West Bengal, could manage to get the Sales tax on components of storage battery reduced from 13.5% to 5% in 1998-99 and also got reduced the vat charges from 12% to 4% in respect of Battery lead, Oxides, Separators, Battery scrapes, lead plate in the fiscal 2005-06.

It’s not rigidity that is the Association’s forte. An astute balancing is what it cares for. While it counters strongly any bid by CPCB/WBPCB to unnecessarily harass its members, it does not also hesitate to direct an erring member to scrupulously follow the dictates of the CPCB and WBPCB in abiding by the rules set for controlling of pollution.

The ASSOCIATION has COMMITTED itself to ensure that its members compulsorily install pollution control devices and efficiently monitor their functioning and that they take measures for management of hazardous waste as directed by the WBPCB to restrict air and water pollution to the much below than the acceptable minimum. 100 percent of our members have installed the devices which are in excellent working condition. As regards Environmental Compliance, the Association acted as the nodal agency of WBPCB and as the local partner of the Environment Compliance Assistance Centre (ECAC). The representatives of the Association attended different workshops, seminars, consultation meetings held by ECAC in collaboration with Asian Environmental Compliance and Enforcement network (AECEN) to assist industries in attaining regulatory and voluntary compliance.

Whenever needed the Association came forward to extend helping hand to the needy and the destitute as their social obligation. They contributed Rs.51,000/= in 1999 to families of Kargil Victims, Rs.1,00,000/= for Tsunami Victims in 2005, Rs. 41,503/= for victims of North Bihar flood, Rs. 51,000/= in 2009 to Aila Victims, Rs. 1 lakh for Uttarakhand flood in 1913, Rs. 1 lakh for earthquake victims in Nepal.

President of the Association was chosen as a member of the Consent Committee of the Salt Lake Regional office of West Bengal Pollution Control Board and thereby the Association participated in the decision making activities of the Board.

President and General Secretary of the Association were nominated honourable members of State Level Advisory Board of MSME-DI and MSME-TC respectively from 01.04.2010 to 31.03.2012. The President was nominated in the reconstituted SLAB for 2012-2014 as well.

Shri Y.P. Kanotra, President of the Association was the main architect in formation of the “Federation of Indian Small Scale Battery Associations” which was launched in January, 2010. Shri Y.P. Kanotra, President of the Association became the Federation’s first President and he continued to function successfully in the same capacity till January, 2016 when a new President was elected.

Time was when Calcutta, now Kolkata used to be the leader in production and supply of quality S S Storage Battery, Battery plates and Oxides in the country. In fact, Small Scale Storage Battery Industry originated from Calcutta. For decades Calcutta dictated terms over Small Scale Storage Battery Industries of other parts of the country. But from the last decade of twentieth century their supremacy in the industry ebbed by degrees till it reached a struggling stage in the recent years.

Present Executive Committee's Mission & Vission

The present Executive Committee formed in February, 2016 comprise members and officials who are enterprising, dedicated and well-equipped with the latest technological advancement in the battery industry. With the help of their selfless service to not only the members of the Association but also to all SS Battery Industries in the country, they would raise the Association to the pedestal of all India fame and would easily fulfil their mission in retaining their position as the best Storage Battery Association in the country.

The Association from its inception had got services of dedicated officials who aspired after reaching the pinnacle of success in establishing the Association on firm footing and in the process earned all India fame as the best SS Storage Battery Association in the country by dint of their relentless service to the cause of the Small Scale Storage Battery Industries in the country.
The present Executive Committee, with the vision of regaining the past glory has vowed to work ceaselessly for the benefit of the struggling SS Industrial units of West Bengal till they are transformed into viable Small Scale Industrial units at par with their counterparts in the country.