Thursday, March 16, 2006
SURAT: Come April, zooming down the Piplod-Dumas road would be a thrilling affair. With three lanes in each direction for uninterrupted vehicular movement, service roads on both sides and greenery in the backdrop of high-rise buildings, this road, christened ‘Gaurav Path’, would ensure a smooth ride for Surtis.

This is the first of four Gaurav Paths planned for the city in 2006 by the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC). The other three, with a total length of about 13 km in different parts of the city, would help ease traffic congestion.

The ‘Gaurav Path’ from Malhar Complex to Rundh octroi post in Piplod, having been built at a cost of Rs 12.5 crore, is almost complete and final touches are being given, according to officials in the corporation.

SMC commissioner Pankaj Joshi said the total width of the 2.5-km-long Gaurav Path is around 60 metres. The 3.25-metre broad central verge has a decorative fountain with attractive lighting and plants, Joshi said.

Parking arrangements have been made on 6-metre-wide blocks along the concrete pavement on both sides and a provision for 11 bus stops has been made , said city engineer BM Desai.
With this Gaurav Path, travelling towards Magadalla airport and Dumas and also to Hazira from Athwalines and Ghod Dod Road would be fast and free from any traffic snarls, said Joshi.

The other three Gaurav Paths would come up at Surat-Navsari road with a total length of 7.8 km, Surat-Bardoli road with a length of 2.4 km and Rander-Ramnagar, a stretch of 2.8 km.

All these Paths, currently under various stages of construction, would be completed by the end of 2006, at an estimated cost of Rs 55 crore, Joshi told to media.

Tuesday, March 14, 2006
SURAT: It’s hardly surprising these days to spot teenagers or even preteens in Surat carrying a mobilephone. More and more pre-teens are gaining access to mobilephones, aided by the low costs of these handsets and the competition that drives cellular providers to come up with innumerable concessional offers.

The biggest advantage here is the need for parents to keep in touch with their kids; as a result of which, they are only too willing to equip their child with a handset of their own.

Mitali, 14, a student of standard nine in Lourdes Convent School is one such teenager. Her mother, Anita Jain says, “It has become a must to hand over a mobile to children today so that we can keep in touch with them.”

Children in Surat, today, lead a very hectic life. Apart from school, they attend tuition classes and are involved in a host of extra-curricular activities.

“Since they stay outdoors for long hours, we tend to get worried in case we are unaware of their whereabouts. This when mobile phones prove to be useful,” she adds.

Monday, March 06, 2006
SURAT: Electricity theft is no ordinary issue in South Gujarat with the Dakshin Gujarat Vij Company Limited (DGVCL) realising losses close to Rs 4.5 crore in the past one-and-half months.

It’s not the number of people involved in theft, but the technology used by customers to by-pass meters that is problematic.

Besides, it is not the commoner responsible for major thefts, but threephase connection users in the industrial belt. For instance, in the series of raids conducted by DGVCL in the last few months, the vigilance department came across consumers who used a car remote control to switch off their electricity meters.

The meter had a chip inserted in it that obtained radio signals from a car remote control and used to operate on the whims of the consumer. The story does not end here.

A new mercury liquid switch recently procured by a certain factory owner in Vapi industrial estate was neatly slipped into the wire sleeve that connected the meter…
The mercury liquid would spread in the switch and connect the two ends of the meter wire when a magnet is placed below this portion and the meter used to operate.

In another method, the meter was neatly opened and the magnet slot through which the meter wheel passes, was misplaced slightly, thereby altering the speed of the meter wheel.

Then comes mismatching teeth of gear wheels,which help rotate the meter wheel. Break two teeth of the gear wheel and the meter wheel has an awkward rotation.

One of the most popular methods, however, happened to be reducing the number of coil-turns in the meter that helps reduce rotation of the meter.

The other being ‘inverting’ the meter, that is, by causing the meter wheel to rotate in the opposite direction.

“High tension users in industrial belts like Vagra, Jambusar, Bharuch, Vapi, Kim and Ankleshwar are under close watch as these innovative methods have originated from these places…

March 29, 2006 16:12 IST

Sunil Bharti Mittal may have made big bucks out of the mobile telephony revolution in India, but the man says it was a saga of struggle, fight and the “mother of all battles.”

When he began his entrepreneurial venture in 1985, he was “ignored” and “laughed at” thereafter, before the “fight” erupted in the telecom sector leading to what he calls “mother of all battles” from which he came out “fairly successful,” he said.

Sharing his thoughts with students and faculty of Indian Institute Management, Bangalore, at a convocation function, the Chairman and Group Managing Director of Bharti Enterprises said: “I am a new age entrepreneur. I believe I represent the changing face of India.”

“When I came out of college in 1976, I was told by all my friends and people generally older and guiding me in my hometown in Ludhiana that the pole-positions…the grand-stand positions have already been taken up by those who mattered.”

There were large business houses, and the public sector had a huge grip, he recalled. For a young, struggling entrepreneur with very little capital, who has just come out of college, the space was indeed very limited, he said.

“But somehow the heart was not willing to accept. And one had to push on and push forward with every little opportunity that one got in one’s life.”

Mittal said the period — 1976 to 1985 — was a period of great struggle, of great pain but one of great learning.

“Learning that I could not take from B-school because I went straight to business after university… I picked up on the streets. I learnt my lessons on the streets and at every opportunity, tried to assimilate, gather, absorb some of the practices that were required to create an enterprise.”

He said he saw his first battle with “big boys” in 1985-86 when he first launched India’s first push-button telephones. “My romance with telecom started in 1985.”

“Mahatma Gandhi once said: ‘at first, they ignore you’; these were the times when I was being ignored.”

“It’s important that at this stage you be ignored. Because spotlight at an early time of your lifecycle does not give you any extra advantage but certainly puts you at a great disadvantage.”

“Gandhiji said: ‘then they laugh at you.’

In 1992, Mittal said he applied for mobile licence — India’s first attempt to provide mobile telephone services.

“I felt we had the passion to deliver India’s first mobile phone services. Many thought otherwise. We threw our hat in the ring.”

He said 1993, 1994 and 1995 saw some major litigations around this area. Our first licence was awarded in 1995.

“Bharti got a licence to provide mobile telephony in Delhi. People were still laughing. Because this was supposed to be a business with very deep pockets.”

It was only later that he realised that this business needed “large monies”. Those were difficult times, Mittal said.

“When it came to providing mobile services in the rest of the country… it saw the awakening of all those who missed in round one.”

“Everybody who missed out in the first round… large industrial houses to many others came and jumped in round two.

Bidding that happened in that round edged out almost all entrepreneurial initiatives. The bid went at Rs 85,000 crore and this was in 1996.”

“Most of the bids were picked up by people who had less knowledge about this business,” Mittal said, adding, Bharti then expanded slowly picking up the circles of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Chennai followed by Punjab and Kolkata, among others.

“Then the juggernaut (Bharti) started rolling,” he said. “Then they fight you. Then the big fight erupted in the telecom arena. They had ignored us, they had laughed at us and the fight had begun. And we were willing to fight this battle out because it was truly the mother of all battles.”

Mittal said the company believed that “if the business is about people and customers and not about money and technology, it thought it can win the war.”

“After three years of fight, we came out fairly successful out of this. As Gandhiji said, those who try hard with lot of passion, eventually win.”

Rebecca Jacob

What is a bias cut?

How do I wear a kaftan?

What does a designer mean when he says, “Look for a good finish”?

What are corsets, jodhpurs, empire lines?

These terms are commonly used by top designers to describe their clothes. The same words can be intimidating to the average person who wants to dress well and look trendy.

With two back-to-back fashion weeks — the Fashion Week in Mumbai and the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week in Delhi — designers will be spewing jargon galore.

So we bring you the A to Z of fashion terms.

This list will help you decipher the fashion mantras of the top Indian designers who will be showcasing their new collections in the next few weeks.

A line: A dress/ skirt shape that is narrower at the top and gently flaring out to the bottom, following the shape of the letter A. Flattering for bottom heavy figures.

Accent: A distinctive feature that accentuates the look and style of a garment. Can be a touch of colour, embroidery, etc, that makes a designer’s work look unique.

Androgynous: A gender-bending look, neither male nor female but a combination of both. Rohit Bal is famous for dressing up his male models in skirts, wearing sindoor as they strut down the runway.

Badla: A flat metallic wire inserted into fabric and beaten down. Used as embroidery. Also known as mukeish work. It is often used in conjunction with other forms of embroidery like chikankari or zardozi to add to the richness of the look.

Bias: When a garment is cut at an angle to the warp (horizontal yarns) and weft (vertical yarns) of a fabric. This is used to create garments that closely follow the curves of the body. Wendell Rodricks is well known for his flowing elegant drapes usually cut on the bias.

Bootleg: A pant style that tapers to the knee and then flares out gently so as to accommodate the bulk of the boot.

Bubble skirt: A voluminous skirt, somewhat resembling a balloon.

Buti: A small embroidery motif, usually floral, but can be paisley/ mango shaped or others shapes as well.

Camisole: A short sleeveless garment for women that feels like lingerie.

Cap Sleeves: A small short sleeve that sits exactly on the shoulder or falling just on to the arm.

Capris: Knee to calf length straight cut pants.

Chandelier earrings: Long shoulder-dusting earrings incorporating crystals and beads lending them the look of chandeliers.

Chikankari: A traditional Lucknowi handicraft, chikan is the white thread embroidery done on fine white muslin. A look perfect for summer chikankari is often seen in collections by Meera and Muzzaffar Ali and Anita Dongre.

Circular Skirts: A skirt cut so that the hem of the skirt forms a circle without any gathers at the waist. Depending on the amount of flare required, the hem can either be semi-circular or even a quarter circle. The circular skirt is a Manish Arora trademark look and is expected to be seen all over the catwalk this year.

Corset: A slim fitting top, usually strapless with stiff boning inside as support and either laced up or with hooks as closures. Corsets are a staple on the Indian runway, often as substitute for a blouse. Here, for example, is a Manish Arora creation that uses a corset.

Cowl neck: A neckline with material falling loosely from shoulder to shoulder forming soft graceful folds. This can hang either in the front or back of the garment, adding a sensuous, glamourous feel to any outfit.

Day to evening: A look that can take you from a day in the office straight to a rocking party the same night with just a change of accessories.

Deconstruction: Is a term used to describe clothing that has been taken apart and put back together in a new unexpected way, or looks unfinished, raw and as though it may be deteriorating.

Drainpipe: Narrow pants, tapering towards the ankles. Also called cigarette pants.

Draping: The art of creating a dress simply by arranging fabric around a body using the natural fall of the fabric and techniques like pleating, gathering. The most famous drape would be the sari. One of the masters in the art of draping is Tarun Tahiliani.

Empire line: A silhouette where the waistline is pulled up just below the bust. This style makes the most of a small bust line.

Finish: The level of perfection with which a garment is completed. In the best garments, the inside will look as complete as the outside.

Fishtail skirt: Tightly fitted around the hip and flaring out from the knee to the ground. It can also be called a mermaid skirt. It is called a fishtail skirt because it resembles the shape of a fish’s tail.

Form fitting: This style closely skims the body and emphasises the natural curves without being tight.

Ghagra: A traditional Indian skirt widely flared, often made up of several triangular panels stitched together to add even more flare.

Gore/ Godet: A triangular panel set into a skirt or sleeve to add extra flare. The Indian term is the kali, for example, as used in the kalidar kurta.

Gota: A traditional form of embroidery using a narrow gold or silver ribbon folded to form designs and patterns. A form of embroidery utilised by fashion prodigies like Sabyasachi Mukerjee and grande dame Ritu Kumar in LIFW 2004.

Grain: A term used to describe the direction of the weft (vertical yarns). Clothes are traditionally cut on the grain, i.e. along the length of a fabric. On the cross grain refers to cutting fabric in the direction of the warp (horizontal yarns)

Halter: A sleeveless top, whose cut leaves the shoulders bare and is quite often backless. Another fashion staple seen every season on the ramp, it ups the glamour quotient instantly. Nina Manuel sports a halter in this Tarun Tahiliani ensemble.

Handkerchief hem: Very big last season, the handkerchief hem falls in several graceful points. Widely popular as it is flattering to most figures. Seen here on Noyonika Chatterjee for Wendell Rodericks last year.

Haute couture: High fashion, hand made, staggeringly expensive one of a kind pieces that often require three fittings. To qualify as an haute couture piece a garment must follow several strict guidelines. For a label or business to qualify as a couture house it must belong to the Syndical Chamber for Haute Couture in Paris.

Hipsters: Low cut pants, whose waist rests on or below the hip. An international look that swept the world. Rina Dhaka does a subtle version.

Ikat: A handicraft where the yarns are carefully tie-dyed in a particular design before they are woven together.

Jacket: A garment designed as outerwear usually falling somewhere between the waist and the hip, closing with either buttons or a zip. Jackets can be single breasted or double breasted, or have a Chinese collar, all according to the season and current trends.

Jodhpurs: Riding pants, with loose fabric at the hip and fitting tightly from knee to ankle.

Kaftan: A full length garment with elbow or full length sleeves. Often highly embellished with embroidery, kaftans now come in all lengths. Originally from the Middle East.

Kimono: A Japanese garment. The kimono sleeve is a wide sleeve cut in one piece with the main body of the garment.

Kitsch: A style incorporating elements from popular culture. Manish Arora is known internationally for his mastery of kitsch. Shahzad Kalim pulled off a very kitschy fun look last year.

Kitten heels: A short heel about 1 ½ - 2 inches high with a distinctive curve. Considered very feminine and pretty.

Kundan: A traditional form of mounting uncut or engraved stones in lac. Since the lac is visible, gold foil is inserted behind the stones to cover the lac giving the jewelry a mellow, rich look.

Kurtas, kurtis: A tunic style traditional India garment of varying length, with side slits. The kurti refers to a short kurta of hip length.

Lapel: An extension of the collar in a jacket that folds out. The width and length of the lapel varies widely from season to season and is often a defining aspect of menswear trends.

LBD or the Little Black Dress: A black cocktail dress that has become a fashion staple after being first introduced by Coco Chanel. Reinvented every season.

Lining: The inner layer used to cover the inside of garment. Usually of a soft, smooth fabric the right lining can add give an outfit a more flattering fall.

Mandarin Collars: Also known as the Chinese collar. A short band stand up collar adapted from the traditional Chinese collar.

Mary Janes: A shoe styled after school children’s shoes. Traditionally with a rounded toe and a flat heel, the chief characteristic of a Mary Jane is the strap over the top of the foot. Today Mary Janes can be of any heel height.

Minimalism: A trend in design where clothes are stripped down to their most basic elements. A look characterised by simple forms and basic colour schemes. Payal Jain, for example, says she espouses a minimalist look.

Minis, maxis: A mini is a very short skirt or dress falling mid-thigh or higher. The maxi refers to a full length skirt/dress, ankle length or longer.

Mules: A shoe without any back strap.

Necklines: The most popular necklines are the V-neck, square neck, round neck, boat neck, scooped neck, halter and keyhole.

Odhani: A piece of fabric like a dupatta, worn tucked in at the waist, over the head and back with the loose end over one shoulder.

Phulkari: A traditional Punjabi technique of embroidery using satin stitch in silk floss on coarse cotton.

Pintucks: A pleat, that has been stitched down along the length, of a very narrow width (no more that a few millimetres). This is a very popular technique to create texture. Raghavendra Rathore often exploits this technique for a clean yet textured look.

Platform heels: These are shoes with thick soles made of wood, cork or plastic. They create the illusion of height without the discomfort of regular heels.

Pleats: A technique to create volume in a garment by folding fabric and stitching it down at the top of the fold. Types of pleats include knife pleats (all folds facing one direction), box pleats (two flat folds in opposite directions with edges of the fabric meeting underneath), inverted pleats (similar to a box pleat but with the fullness on the outer side) etc..

Prêt-a-porter: A French term for ready to wear. A lower and more popular price point for garments from most designer houses. For instance, Suneet Varma’s line is called Le Spice and J J Valaya’s prêt line is Studio Valaya.

Ruching: Creating gathers in cloth by pulling it between two or more lines of stitching. Also known as shirring.

Sharara: A traditional Indian loose, divided skirt.

Shrug: A woman’s short jacket waist length or shorter. Some styles may look like they only consist of a back and sleeves. It is similar in feeling to a bolero jacket.

Silhouette: Key shapes a designer uses in his show. Popular silhouettes are A-line, H-line, Bell shaped, Empire line, etc.

Skort: Shorts that have a flap in the front so as to resemble a skirt.

Spaghetti strap: A thin circular strap that resembles a strand of spaghetti, generally used in blouses/ tops/ footwear.

Straight legged: Pants that have been cut straight from the hip to the floor, ie of equal width throughout. When pants are cut extra wide, they are popularly known as palazzo pants.

Tank top: Any short sleeveless top with a loose armhole.

Tube top: Any short top that does not have shoulders or sleeves.

Tulle: A stiffened silk net. The term can also include synthetic nets.

Tunic: A straight cut dress without darts.

Tussar: A heavy textured silk fabric.

Tweed: A rough, nubby, woollen fabric with subdued and interesting colour effects. Popular in international collections have featured tweed in the past season.

Vintage: A trend in fashion now that references designs and other details from bygone eras from the 1920’s upto the 70’s. Gauri and Nainika, Sabyasachi Mukerjee both channeled Vintage influences in their respective collections last year.

Welt pockets: The breast pocket in formal men’s suits. In women’s wear, it can be used anywhere.

Wrap: Both wraparound tops and wraparound skirts involve overlapping fabric around the waist, either in the front or the back to create a fitted waistline.

Zardozi: Traditional Mughal embroidery, done with metallic thread and uncut stones on heavy fabrics such as velvet and silk. A favourite with bridal collections. Often used by Ritu Kumar and designers like Rohit Bal and Manish Malhotra.

Rebecca Jacob is a graduate from NIFT, Mumbai. She has worked with designers Anita Dongre and Joe Ikareth.

March 27, 2006

On March 17, the government approved 148 proposals for setting up special economic zones, covering about 40,000 hectares of land and involving a total investment of Rs 100,000 crore (Rs 1,000 billion). All these will enjoy the several benefits that have been offered under the recent SEZ policy framework and are expected to be operational within three years in order to be entitled to them.

Among the developers of the approved zones are such prominent corporate names as Reliance, Bajaj Auto, Mahindra & Mahindra, TCS, Wipro and Ranbaxy, as well as others known for their strategic orientation and long-term commitments. Their participation provides a great deal of credibility of the process and reinforces the expectations of proponents of the whole programme.

Before going into the merits of those expectations, one would have to concede that both history and the current policy regime run somewhat counter to them. Over the years that we have had various generations of the concept in place–free trade zones or export-processing zones or any other–their collective share of the country’s total exports has not risen above 5 per cent.

This sluggishness was evident even while the growth rate of aggregate exports was quite buoyant, leading to the inescapable conclusion that these mechanisms simply did not offer a large enough advantage for exporters to locate their facilities in them. Whatever impeded the competitiveness of domestic producers outside the zones apparently had an influence inside them as well. The direct fiscal incentives were obviously not strong enough to offset those disadvantages.

On the policy front, the issue that was most debated was the possibility of exempting producers locating in the zones from the labour market regulations, particularly those applying to job security. Many people saw this as an indispensable part of the SEZ strategy and were disappointed by the ultimate decision not to provide these exemptions.

Obviously, the huge enthusiasm shown by developers, specially the names mentioned above, suggests that this concern is not as significant as it first appeared. One way or another, the zones will be able to create conditions necessary for globally competitive production.

This perception is reinforced by the fact that many of the zones are focused on multi-product manufacturing activity, where the failure to deal with labour market issues has the maximum potential to cause damage. Well, apparently not, in the minds of the developers.

What, then, gives the developers the confidence that their huge investments will bear fruit? There is one clear difference between the old and new regimes. The developer–private or in partnership with a public agency–will have enough control over the infrastructure and services within the zone to provide his clients with a high degree of assurance with respect to their quality and reliability.

The zones that we have had so far have been managed by public agencies, who, as we well know, cannot usually offer that kind of comfort.

What the developers are essentially banking on is a huge pent-up demand for high-quality facilities, the absence of which is deterring a range of investment activity. There is a perception that a lot of investment that would otherwise take place isn’t, because the infrastructure situation is a huge deterrent. If this problem is solved within the framework of the SEZ, a substantial part of this potential would be realised.

While the labour issue may continue to be an irritant, there are bypasses available. For example, state governments, whose permission has to be sought to lay off workers, may be willing to co-operate in order to attract investment. In short, potentially high occupancy levels combined with extensive fiscal benefits provided to developers make this an attractive business proposition.

That explains the commercial interest in SEZ development. Is this interest aligned with the country’s economic objectives? From the macroeconomic standpoint, it would be a tragedy if the performance of the economy did not stimulate a high level of investment, which would then complete the virtuous circle by itself, reinforcing the growth momentum.

To the extent that the zones bring about an improvement in the investment climate and thereby contribute to increasing levels of investment in the economy, their impact will be unambiguously positive.

Given the average size of the bigger zones, the developers should be able to offer extremely attractive prices for high-quality services, sweetened by the fiscal benefits they will receive.

Although the policy objective is oriented towards exports, it does not prohibit producers from selling in the domestic market, provided they pay all the duties that exports are exempt from, including customs duties on imports into the country.

I suspect that for many products, producers will find it economical to locate in the zones and sell in the domestic market. This tendency will be reinforced by falling import duties, which will reduce the price gap between exports and domestic sales for producers within the zones.

For zones in the interior parts of the country, weak transport linkages to ports may offset the efficiency gains from locating in them and make domestic sales even more attractive.

The critical question is: are the zones “investment-creating”–attracting investment that wouldn’t otherwise take place–or “investment-diverting”–inducing relocation from existing facilities? Either way, the business proposition remains intact, but, quite obviously, the macroeconomic interest is best served by the former. Which way will the pendulum swing?

Two factors will determine the direction. The first is the signal that state governments send on allowing de facto labour market flexibility. If they fight shy, producers who already have workers on their rolls will shift in order to take advantage of the infrastructure, while losing nothing on the labour front. However, new businesses will continue to have a problem with the prospect of a permanent labour force.

The second is the degree of dependence on infrastructure outside the zone, which will, almost by definition, not match up to its counterpart within. Again, the logic of relocation is clear, while the logic of start-ups is not.

In short, in the current policy framework the zones undoubtedly offer a great business proposition to the developers. Their overall economic impact, however, depends not only on the zone policy itself but also on the situation with respect to several other issues. For those looking to emulate the Chinese experience, there is still some way to go.

The author is chief economist, Crisil. The views here are personal.

News Article from Rediff.

Sharat Pradhan in Lucknow | March 13, 2006 21:30 IST

A leading 400-year-old Islamic seminary, the Darul-Ifta Firangai Mahal on Monday issued a ‘fatwa’ against terrorists targeting places of worship and killing innocent people.

The Lucknow based institution issued the fatwa on an application moved by local businessman Sajid Umar, who had sought Firangi Mahal’s verdict on the issue.

According to Firangi Mahal chief Maulana Khalid Rasheed , who was also the Imam of Lucknow’s Idgah, “Sajid Umar wanted to know what Islam had to say about those people who were attacking places of worship and killing innocent people in cold blood.”

The Maulana ruled, “There was absolutely no room for terrorism in Islam and murder of one innocent person amounted to murder of entire humanity.”

Quoting from the 32nd ‘Ayat’ of ‘Sur-e-Mayda’ in the Holy Quran, he pointed out, “God has very explicitly stated that if any human being kills any other human being, he would be guilty of murdering humanity.”

Rasheed told this scribe, “I further pointed out that in this reference, the Holy Quran does not talk about any particular religion; it is a reference to the entire humanity.”

Quoting yet another excerpt from the Holy Quran, he added, “Ayat 107 under ‘Sur-e-Ambia’ chapter of the Quran says that the Prophet’s objective is to ensure well being of the entire universe, which includes not only human beings, but even animals, trees and plants.”

He said, “It is notable that the Prophet never reacted violently even against those those not only attacked him in various ways but also tried to cause physical harm to him; the Prophet was also totally against causing the slightest harm to any place of worship, belonging to any faith.”

While emphasising that, “Islam has always laid stress on peace and harmony,” the Maulana’s fatwa added, “If any Muslim causes harm to any place of worship of indulges in killing of innocent people, Islam would regard it as the worst possible crime and the Shariat would consider it absolutely unlawful.”

February 3, 2006.

SURAT: The city police have made a major headway in convincing diamond merchants of Surat to submit a dossier of their employees at the local police stations.

It was not an easy task for the police in view of the resistance from diamond merchants, who had, for all practical purposes, refused to submit the desired dossier.

While most of the industrial units including textile, power loom and small-scale units had submitted the details, diamond merchants, particularly from Varachha, had cited various excuses for not complying with the order.

The police were keen to prepare a database after the rising number of crimes in Surat. Sources say that the diamond merchants were not ready to divulge details of their permanent employees as they kept changing their names on muster rolls at fixed intervals to avoid liabilities under the labour laws.
At the same time, the police were adamant on starting his mammoth drive to build a database. This drive is the first of its kind in the state.

City police commissioner Sudhir Sinha had warned of strict action and threatened employers with arrest if they ignored the order.

Subsequently, six diamond merchants from Varachha were arrested under section 188 of the Indian Penal Code for flouting the order.

Last November, Haresh Miyani of Bhagirath Nagar, Purshottam Megpara, Lalubhai Waghani, Babubhai Patel of Matawadi, Mukesh Sawani of Neelam Baug Society and Jayesh Patel of Sarita Society were arrested.