SRINAGAR: The Kashmir Small Scale Industrial Association (KSSIA) has defended the Jammu and Kashmir Ease of Doing Business Act, 2026, against concerns raised by the Group of Concerned Citizens (GCC), urging the government to notify clear implementation rules at the earliest while ensuring that environmental protection and public safety remain integral to the reform.
The association said the legislation could help end decades of bureaucratic hurdles faced by entrepreneurs, promote investment and generate employment, arguing that simplifying permissions should not be mistaken for removing regulatory safeguards.
At a meeting of its Executive Council at the association’s office in Baghi Ali Mardan Khan, chaired by president Syed Fazal Illahi, KSSIA unanimously welcomed the legislation enacted by the government led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Members described it as a long-awaited reform aimed at restoring the dignity of entrepreneurs and creating a more conducive environment for industrial growth in Jammu and Kashmir.
The council recalled the difficulties faced by entrepreneurs who, despite investing their lifetime savings and considerable effort in establishing businesses, were compelled to move from one government office to another to obtain approvals, consents and No Objection Certificates. It said the administrative system had too often treated entrepreneurs as petitioners rather than facilitating the creation of enterprises and livelihoods.
The association maintained that easing the process of doing business was part of a wider reform programme being pursued across the country and that Jammu and Kashmir, having endured decades of economic disruption and industrial stagnation, could not afford to remain tied to outdated administrative practices.
Expressing disappointment over the GCC’s objections, KSSIA questioned the timing of the criticism, saying sweeping apprehensions had been raised before the government had notified the rules and guidelines governing the Act’s implementation. It argued that the legislation contained safeguards relating to environmental protection, public safety and other legitimate concerns, which could be further elaborated through appropriate rules.
The association stressed that removing unnecessary permissions did not mean doing away with environmental, planning or safety regulations. It said freedom from bureaucratic harassment could not be equated with freedom from lawful accountability, adding that the legislation should be examined on the basis of its provisions rather than through a generalised assumption that facilitating enterprise would threaten Kashmir’s fragile ecology.
KSSIA also argued that industrialists and entrepreneurs were themselves stakeholders in the region’s environmental future, with an interest in protecting its forests, water bodies, landscapes and cultural heritage. Development and environmental protection, it said, should be pursued as complementary objectives rather than presented as competing priorities.
The council questioned what it described as the lack of comparable scrutiny of environmental degradation over the past three decades. It cited unplanned development in tourist destinations such as Pahalgam, Gulmarg and Sonamarg, as well as the growing commercialisation of residential neighbourhoods including Karan Nagar, Balgarden, Jawahar Nagar and Rajbagh.
Members questioned why these developments had not attracted similar attention when several experienced administrators now associated with the GCC held responsible positions in government. They maintained that environmental accountability should encompass past administrative decisions as well as proposed policy reforms.
Despite its criticism of the GCC’s position, the association acknowledged the experience and expertise of its members and invited them to identify specific deficiencies in the legislation. It called for constructive engagement among the GCC, the government and industrial representatives to strengthen safeguards without undermining the Act’s stated objectives.
The Executive Council thanked Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his government for addressing longstanding demands of the industrial community and called for the early notification of practical implementation rules that would preserve the spirit of the legislation while protecting environmental and other public interests.
“Jammu and Kashmir can afford neither reckless development nor endless bureaucratic obstruction. Our entrepreneurs deserve dignity, our educated youth deserve opportunities at home, and our environment deserves protection. Good governance must deliver all three,” the association said.
