Relief for industry, govt agrees to extend compounding policy

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 21

Giving a major relief to industrialists, the state government has agreed to extend the existing compounding policy by one year. Once it is notified, the industry outside the municipal limits can get its buildings regularised by submitting an application.

The regularisation policy for standalone buildings constructed without prior permission outside the municipal limits in Punjab expired on December 31, 2022.

Ease of living

Apart from ease of doing business, we will focus on ease of living as well. It will attract industrialists to invest in Punjab. —Aman Arora, Housing & Urban Development Minister

Also, it proposed a new compounding policy, for which a core committee will be formed to address the issues pertaining to the industries, housing and urban development. The committee will comprise representatives of the Housing and Urban Development (H&UD), Labour Department, Industry Department and architects.

This was revealed by Housing and Urban Development Minister Aman Arora while interacting with industrialists at Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) headquarters here recently.

The Cabinet Minister said the H&UD Department had created a foolproof mechanism which would ensure that industrialists got all sort of permissions within 45 days. He said efforts were on to make industrial plots easily available to investors.

To boost the economy and generate employment opportunities in the state, Arora said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had already delegated powers for approval of building plans and grant of completion certificate of standalone industries, including compounding of standalone industries, outside the MC limits, to the Director of Factories so that the industrialists need not apply at two separate departments for getting the building plan approved. Amit Thapar, Chairman, CII, Punjab, raised issues pertaining to bylaws, permissions and approvals. Industrialists also highlighted the matter pertaining to scarcity of land.