Officials fail to unblock GSTIN number, Bizman suffers

A city-based businessman, Girish L, Director, Add Engineering Components India Pvt Ltd (AECIPL), has been left in the lurch after the state GST department authorities told him that they are unable to unblock his GSTIN, cancelled due to a delay in payment.
The officials said they do not know how to unblock it, and Girish is now unable to conduct any business or buy supplies without generating the E-Way Bill number.
Struggles of AECIPL began in 2021 when Girish could not pay GST due to COVID, and later he had to shut his company temporarily. The department, citing the delay in payment of GST, suspended his 15-digit GSTIN that prevented him from conducting any transaction. The company manufactures and supplies cutting-edge tools and defence components.
The director had received two show-cause notices from the department. He made a payment of Rs 17.5 lakh towards GST along with Rs 2 lakh fines in December 2021, while the due date was March 2021. Though as per rule, GSTIN should have been restored, it has not been done.
Despite his requests, the anomaly could not be corrected and he could not file the GST returns from December 21 to February 2022. He approached the appellate tribunal seeking to revoke the cancellation of registration. On March 31, 2022, the tribunal ordered the authorities to restore the GSTIN. But the department has not cancelled de-registration proceedings.