Surat/Ahmedabad: Thousands of small and medium diamond polishing units across Gujarat including the hub of diamond business Surat remained shut today to protest against the 5% GST on small units who mainly work as contract units for bigger players and 18% on brokers.

Around 4 thousand small and medium units in Surat remained closed today. Such units in Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar, Palanpur and Visnagar among others also observed bandh as a mark of solidarity on the issue.

President of Surat Diamond Merchant’s Association Dinesh Navadiya said that his outfit had lend support to to the bandh.

‘Though the bigger units remained open today as well but we had supported the cause of small and medium units who say that GST on a B2B kind of thing was not a right thing. Likely the 18% GST on brokers in the business, they say, was not justified,’ he said.

The bandh was close on heels of the bandh organized by textile traders and food grain traders across the state two days ago.

DeshGujarat