SRINAGAR: The Federation of Chambers of Industries Kashmir (FCIK) has welcomed the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change’s (MoEF) decision to amend the Uniform Consent Guidelines under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 and the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, calling it a long-overdue reform that will ease industrial compliance, reduce procedural delays and restore investor confidence.
Describing the move as a significant step towards balancing environmental protection with industrial growth, the Federation appealed to Jammu and Kashmir’s Minister for Forests, Ecology and Environment, Javid Ahmad Rana, to ensure the swift and effective implementation of the revised guidelines in the Union Territory.
In a statement, FCIK said the amendments address several long-standing concerns of industry by rationalising compliance requirements, reducing regulatory bottlenecks and ensuring continuity of operations, while retaining essential environmental safeguards. The earlier consent regime, the Federation noted, was widely viewed as harsh and compliance-heavy, often resulting in avoidable delays that adversely impacted both new projects and existing industrial units.
The Chamber said the revised framework reflects a shift towards trust-based governance and vindicates its consistent stand that several provisions of the previous consent regime were in contradiction to the stated objective of “Ease of Doing Business,” particularly due to repetitive and stringent compliance requirements.
One of the key reforms welcomed by FCIK is the provision under which industrial units located within organised industrial estates will be deemed to have obtained consent upon submitting an online application with self-certification. The Federation said this measure would significantly reduce procedural uncertainty and delays, especially for micro and small enterprises, noting that such industrial estates are set up only after the government has already obtained the requisite clearances from the Pollution Control Board or Committee.
FCIK has also urged the Industries and Commerce Department to delink industrial incentives from Pollution Control consents and other no-objection certificates, particularly for units operating in notified industrial estates. The Federation said the existing linkage has acted as a major deterrent, forcing many units to either forgo incentives or endure prolonged procedural hurdles. Delinking incentives from such approvals, it said, has now become essential to ensure smooth industrial operations under the amended law.
The Federation further welcomed the removal of the requirement for periodic renewal of Consent to Operate (CTO), noting that once granted, the consent will now remain valid indefinitely unless cancelled due to a violation. This, FCIK said, would provide substantial relief to micro and tiny units such as wooden fruit box manufacturers, furniture makers, the cricket bat industry and a large number of small-scale enterprises by reducing paperwork, compliance burden and uncertainty associated with frequent renewals.
According to FCIK, other key changes — including the introduction of consolidated consent and authorisation, reduced processing timelines, extension of consent fee validity from five to 25 years, a uniform definition of capital investment, and the option of third-party verification through registered environmental auditors — will collectively ease the compliance burden on industries while maintaining robust environmental oversight.
The Federation has called upon its constituents and affiliated associations across all ten districts of the Kashmir Valley to disseminate information about the amended guidelines to every unit holder to ensure wider awareness and effective implementation of the reforms on the ground.
