After the Assam Real Estate & Infrastructure Developer?s Association (AREIDA) dragged three top cement companies Star, Topcem and Dalmia Cements to the Competition Commission of India on September 2, the anti-trust watchdog has now agreed that prima facie a case of price fixing and market manipulation indeed exists.
After studying the petition filed by AREIDA along with the evidence submitted, the Competition Com-?mission has accepted that a prima facie case has been made out against the respondents. Taking cognisance of offence committed under Sections (3) and (4) of the Competition Act, 2002, it registered a case against the three cement companies. AREIDA had filed the case under Sec 19(1)(a) of the Act.
"These three cement companies have abused their dominant position by leading a syndicate and indulged in rampant cartelisation and manipulation of market price to fleece consumers of the Northeast. As a result of their illegal cartelisation, the cement prices in the Northeast have for the past decade been the highest in India," stated the Association.