(1) The Authorised Officer shall, after it has decided to initiate investigation to determine serious injury or threat of serious injury to domestic industry, consequent upon the increased import of a goods into India, issue a public notice notifying its decision which, inter alia, contain information on the following, namely:-

(a) the name of the exporting countries, the goods involved and the volume of import;

(b) the date of initiation of the investigation;

(c) a summary statement of the facts on which the allegation of serious injury or threat of serious injury is based;

(d) reasons for initiation of the investigation;

(e) the address to which representations by interested parties should be directed; and

(f) the time-limits allowed to interested parties for making their views known.

(2) The Authorised Officer shall forward a copy of the public notice to the Central Government in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and other Ministries concerned, known exporters of the goods, the Governments of the exporting countries concerned and other interested parties.

(3) The Authorised Officer shall also provide a copy of the application referred to in sub-rule (1) of rule 5, to-

(a) the known exporters, or the concerned trade association;

(b) the Governments of the exporting countries; and

(c) the Central Government in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry:

Provided that the Authorised Officer shall also make available a copy of the application, upon request in writing, to any other interested person.

(4) The Authorised Officer may issue a notice calling for any information in such form as may be specified in the notice from the exporters, foreign producers and governments of exporting countries and such information shall be furnished by such persons and governments in writing within thirty days from the date of receipt of the notice or within such extended period as the Authorised Officer may allow on sufficient cause being shown.

Explanation.- For the purpose of this rule, the public notice and other documents shall be deemed to have been received one week after the date on which these documents were put in the course of transmission to the interested parties by the Authorised Officer.

(5) The Authorised Officer shall provide opportunity to the industrial user of the goods under investigation and to representative consumer, organisations in cases where the goods is commonly sold at retail level to furnish information which is relevant to the investigation including inter alia, their views if imposition of safeguard quantitative restrictions is in public interest or not.

(6) The Authorised Officer may allow an interested party or its representative to present the information relevant to investigation orally but such oral information shall be taken into consideration by the Authorised Officer only when it is subsequently submitted in writing.

(7) The Authorised Officer shall make available the evidence presented to it by one interested party to all other interested parties, participating in the investigation.

(8) In case where an interested party refuses access to or otherwise does not provide necessary information within a reasonable period or significantly impedes the investigation, the Authorised Officer may record its findings on the basis of the facts available and make such recommendations to the Central Government as it deems fit under such circumstances.