September 14: Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology has banned the sale and distribution of Jagdamba Steels, the main product of Shankar Group. Stating that the steel produced by the company were of poor quality, the bureau banned the sale and distribution of 300 tons of steel rods.

The bureau informed that the sale and distribution of the company's TMT bar in Bara has been stopped after they found certain amount of carbon and sulfur in the sample of 16 mm rod collected for testing.

Director General of the Department, Bishwa Babu Pudasaini, said they found the product was not as per the specified criteria.

He further informed that the sale was banned as the company could not give satisfactory explanation to the bureau regarding the excessive amount of carbon and sulphur in the product.

He said that the department has also suspended the permission of the company to produce 16 mm rods.

The company will be allowed to produces 16 mm rods only of the product meets the criteria prescribed by the bureau. Nevertheless, the company will be able to produce other types of rods.

Although the department has set a maximum value of carbon at 0.30 percent for the production of iron rods, the company has kept the amount at 0.35 percent.

Similarly, the value of sulfur used in rod production should be 0.055 percent but the company has used 0.060 percent.