KCCI flags key issues before Centre’s Deregulation Task Force

Srinagar, Jul 15: The President of the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Javid Ahmad Tenga, today participated in a high-level meeting chaired by KK Pathak, Head of the Centre’s Task Force on Deregulation and Compliance Reduction, at the Civil Secretariat.

Welcoming the formation of the Task Force, Tenga presented a comprehensive memorandum highlighting the urgent need for meaningful deregulation and compliance reduction to translate the ease of doing business into a practical reality in Kashmir. He said the initiative offers a timely opportunity to overhaul outdated and overlapping procedures that continue to hinder entrepreneurs and investors.

Tenga drew the Task Force’s attention to several pressing issues, particularly affecting the hospitality and industrial sectors. He pointed out that tourism-related businesses—hotels, guest houses, restaurants, and travel operators—remain burdened with excessive and repetitive compliance. These units must obtain multiple No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from departments such as the Pollution Control Committee, Police, Fire & Emergency Services, Municipal bodies, Health, Revenue, and Development Authorities—often with short validity periods. He said this continuous cycle of renewals, including the six-month character certificates and one-year fire NOCs, disrupts operations and undermines investor confidence. He called for extending registration cycles to 10–15 years for tourism-related businesses.

On the industrial front, Tenga flagged delays in land allotment for startups and new enterprises, lack of clarity on freehold rights for leaseholders, and slow processing of NOCs required for availing subsidies. He said the Single Window System, though available online, remains largely ineffective due to poor departmental integration. Entrepreneurs are still forced to physically approach departments such as Pollution Control, Labour, Revenue, and Municipal bodies. The insistence on hard copy submissions, even after online applications, and the absence of real-time tracking and escalation mechanisms add to inefficiency and delays.

He also criticised the one-size-fits-all approach in regulatory compliance, saying it disproportionately affects micro and small enterprises. He stressed the need for sector-specific and size-appropriate compliance frameworks. Tenga further advocated for the unbundling of government tenders to allow local businesses greater participation, as bundled contracts often favour large players and exclude smaller enterprises.