In a meeting of the Federation of Industries Jammu (FOIJ) held recently under the chairmanship of Lalit Mahajan, attention was focused on a number of hurdles created by the administration in the way of growth and promotion of industrial scope to Jammu region. They said that the administration was not seriously interested in promoting industries in Jammu region as various processes were complicated and time consuming. The Government was not trying to iron out the angularities and make the system smooth so that it would become easier and simpler for the industrialists to conduct business with full energy.
Members present in the meeting raised serious concern over the non- clearance of files of Industrial sector by the SIDCO, SICOP, Directorate of Industries Jammu/ Kashmir and General Manager District Industries Centre across the State awaiting the clearance of guidelines by the Finance Department which is lying since ending December 2016 for the reason best known to the authorities. The Federation members said that although the new Industrial policy of the Government was announced belatedly yet they had found a few lacunae in the policy and had drawn the attention of the Chief Minister in a memorandum sent to her in this context. They lamented that no reaction was known on their suggestions which were vey valuable and practical. The simple arson according to them is inefficiency and lethargy at the level of administration. The question is that the Government makes loud claims of promoting industries in the state to eradicate unemployment and strengthen the economy of the Stat but on the other hand its rules and regulations and the system of handling issues related to industries are complicated and forbidding and time consuming. These issues have been brought to the notice of authorities but to no effect.
We beseech the authorities to take the matter of industries very seriously and remove all hurdles in the way of smooth transaction of industrial business. In the 6th Industrial Advisory Meeting held under the Chairmanship of Chief Minister on February 7, 2017 it was brought to the notice of industrialists that projects worth Rs 2500 crores were cleared by the Industries Department in last two years but on ground, little progress is noticed owing to cumbersome procedures adopted by the Departments related to the Industrial sector which is likely to result in to the overshooting of Project Cost clubbing with the uncertainty of Incentives under the GST Regime to the Industrial Sector of J&K and it is feared that the investment projected may be withdrawn by the prospective Unit holders. In view of these ground realities the Government must move fast to hammer out the obstacles in the way of smooth growth of industries in Jammu region.
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