It seems that hardselling the famed ‘Gujarat Model’ during the parliamentary elections has started showing its impact on the functioning of Jharkhand Government as well. Taking a leaf out of the industrially developed State thanks to its hustle-free policies the Government here has agreed to stretch the duration of license to operate and also directed the State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB) for time bound disposal of the applications, besides making the entire process online.
The decision in this regard came in a meeting of Development Commissioner Sudhir Prasad and pollution board officials taken place on Monday. This saw host of issues, including mammoth number of applications seeking non-objection certificates (NOC) and ‘consent to operate’ pending before the anti-pollution authority.
“It was thought we should make the process of getting NOC and consent to operate (CTO) more industry-friendly. One of the major complains particularly from the small scale industries in the State has been the duration of the CTO. Presently it is one year. It was discussed that why Jharkhand cannot in the lines of Gujarat give CTO for the period of five yearsIJ The Development Commissioner has ordered in this regard,” said a top official of JSPCB.
With the decision the industries and other entrepreneurs need not to apply on yearly basis before the Board. The process is considered as a major hiccup for the industry sector besides leaving ample scope for red-tapism and corruption to flourish. Acting promptly the JSPCB issued notification on Tuesday in this regard thus making the new guideline operational in the State.
This apart, the Board has also decided to go completely online in receiving and disposing the applications for clearances coming to it. “From July 1, no manual dealing in NOC and CTO would exist. Industrialists while seating in their offices or homes can send applications with required documents and the Board would dispose them online,” said JSPCB chairman AK Mishra.
The Board was under pressure for not disposing quickly the applications and keep those pending slapping numerous conditions. Information suggest that till date 306 applications seeking NOC have come to the Board out of which merely eight have been cleared, leaving 298 pending. No different is the case with CTO that has seen 12 applications being approved out of total 542 received.
“When inquired by the Development Commissioner the Board officials deposed in the meeting that more than 70 per cent of the applications belong to stone crushers. The Development Commissioner then instructed the JSPCB officials to dispose all the applications before July 1 by either accepting or rejecting,” said Sharad Poddar of Jharkhand Small Industries Association.
JSPCB has often been charged with showing lethargy in handling the applications coming for various clearances. Small scale entrepreneurs allege deliberate suppression of their files by invoking condition going out of turn just to harass them.