To ensure ease of doing business, promoting investment in the Punjab besides generating more employment opportunities, the state Forest Department has decided to bring an online system for prompt sanctioning of new projects to eliminate unnecessary delays.
“Punjab Government is committed to create an investor-friendly atmosphere for facilitating the industrialists of Punjab by providing them ease of doing business in the State,” State Forest Minister Sadhu Singh Dharmsot saidon Friday.
He pointed out that in this direction, the Forest Department would now start giving approvals for various investment projects through online procedure. The online process would not only ensure timely initiation of the projects but also help to generate ample job opportunities for the youth, he said.
Dharamsot said that all line departments would give approvals through holding camps jointly. “The Forest Department would organize a camp regarding Forest Conservation Act (FCA) cases in the districts in which representatives from concerned Deputy Commissioner, Forest Range Officer, PWD or NHAI, PPCB, Punjab Mandi Board, Irrigation and User agencies would participate to facilitate the industrialists,” he said.
The Minister said that these camps would be instrumental in resolving various issues at the spot.
He said that the Department has transformed the forest clearance process for various projects completely paperless and every file is being taken through e-Office, besides single file process would be used for sending FCA case to one office to another which would make the process more effective and would help to save precious time.
He said that after in principle approval by the Department, FCA would give final sanction to the project.
“The Department would also send the proposal regarding developing forest towns in the populated areas which are adjacent to the forest,” he added.