Reduced compliance burden to foster business growth in Chandigarh: Kataria

To foster a conducive business environment, the Chandigarh Administration has undertaken significant steps to reduce compliance burden and promote deregulation.

Under the Business Reform Action Plan Plus (BRAP ) initiated by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Government of India, the UT Administration has submitted all 434 reforms and also completed the mandated compliance rationalisation exercise across 23 key Acts within the stipulated timeline.

This was shared by Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria in his speech at the 10th Governing Council meeting of the Niti Aayog in New Delhi on Saturday.

“Through digitisation and revision of rules, we have simplified procedures to support ease of doing business. Further, in alignment with the national directives, a UT-level Deregulation Cell has been constituted to focus on 23 identified priority areas such as land use, labour, building permissions and utilities,” he said.

To this end, Chandigarh has already implemented fixed term employment, enabled night shifts for women and introduced compliance notices prior to prosecution. Additionally, proposals for amending three key labour laws — the Factories Act, 1948, the Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act, 1970, and the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 — were underway.

Kataria said the UT Administration was also taking concrete steps to streamline regulatory processes and enhance industrial transparency. “A comprehensive GIS databank of industrial land in Chandigarh has been integrated with the India Industrial Land Bank,” he stated, while disclosing that Chandigarh was also facilitating the renewal of Consent to Establish (CTE) and Consent to Operate (CTO) on the basis of self-certification, a reform that has been in place since 2022.

In addition, the timelines for issuing fresh consents have been streamlined -- 21 days for red and orange category units, and 15 days for green category units -- ensuring greater ease and predictability for industrial stakeholders.

“Furthermore, approvals and renewals under the Factory Act and the Shops and Establishments Act have been significantly expedited, with registration certificates now being issued within a single day, subject to the submission of complete and valid documentation by the applicant,” the Administrator shared.

He revealed that an Integrated Online Building Plan Approval System (OBPAS) has been developed, enabling applicants to obtain approval of building plan and construction-related NOCs from multiple departments through a single window interface. “Additionally, we are implementing a third-party empanelment system for building approvals and inspections, particularly for structural stability, fire safety, and environmental compliance for units of size 2 kanal (0.25 acre) and lesser,” he informed.

To strengthen the industrial infrastructure and support the MSMEs, an Industrial Development-cum-Facilitation Centre (IDFC) has been set up in the Industrial Area. The centre offers a tool room and NABL-accredited testing and calibration laboratory with upgraded equipment to support MSMEs. “The IDFC is being upgraded with respect to testing parameters in civil discipline,” Kataria added.