Strongroom at airport will boost diamond export.

SURAT: Surat's gain is Mumbai's loss. Diamantaires in the Rs 80,000-crore world's biggest diamond cutting and polishing centre would no longer require to send their precious diamonds for export to Mumbai.

Surat airport is all set to be equipped with a strongroom to handle precious cargo by July-end. Airport Authority of India (AAI) has given its approval to the proposal.

Surat Hira Bourse (SHB), the lone custom clearance centre in the city, is all prepared to operate the strongroom at the airport to facilitate the transit of the precious cargo from Surat to around the world.

KK Sharma, chief executive officer (COO), SHB, told TOI, "The SHB handles import of rough diamonds worth Rs 30,000 per annum. We are prepared to set up strongroom at Surat airport to facilitate the merchants and diamantiares for direct export."

According to Sharma, the SHB would provide custom clearance of the precious diamonds and jewellery and that the goods would be stored at the airport's strongroom. The goods would be loaded in the domestic flight to Mumbai for direct export to foreign countries.

The SHB would offer a wide range of facilities like import and export of precious cargo, strongroom with vaults, full custom service, complete security and adequate insurance cover for the safety of parcels etc.

Sharma said, "Since there is no international connectivity from Surat, we cannot set up a custom clearance facility at Surat airport. Diamantiares will have to get custom clearance of their goods from SHB office at Katargam and then store it at the airport strongroom."

Around Rs 75,000 crore of polished diamonds processed in the city annually are sent to Mumbai through angadias. They are then exported to different destinations in the world after custom clearance at Mumbai airport.

SD Sharma, Surat airport, director, told TOI, "We will be allotting the space for the strongroom at the airport by July end. Custom clearance facility is to be set up by the Surat Heera Bourse. The diamantaires will then be exporting diamonds directly to the world markets."

Dinesh Navadia, president, Surat Diamond Association, told TOI, "We have been doing all the procedures relating to custom clearance and other documentation for the export of polished diamonds from Mumbai. Once Surat is equipped with the strongroom, most of the diamantaires would be exporting their goods directly from the airport."

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com