Ludhiana: While industrialists welcomed the administration’s decision to hold a single-window industry meeting with the deputy commissioner after several years, they underlined the need to hold such interactions regularly to ensure timely resolution of issues faced by the industrial sector.Industry representatives said the recent meeting provided them an opportunity to directly place their concerns before the administration. They maintained that regular single-window meetings had proved to be effective in addressing industrial issues and improving coordination between govt departments and industry stakeholders.Industrialists said such meetings not only offered a common platform for interaction with officials but also helped them identify the appropriate department and officer responsible for dealing with specific issues.
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They added that unresolved matters used to be reviewed in subsequent meetings, ensuring continuity, accountability and tracking of pending concerns.Vinod Thapar, chairman of the Knitwear Club, said single-window meetings with the deputy commissioner were held during the tenures of former deputy commissioners Ravi Bhagat and Pradeep Agarwal.“The revival of the single-window meeting is a positive step, but it should be conducted regularly. Earlier, these meetings were very useful because industrialists could directly present their issues before all departments and there was proper follow-up on pending matters in subsequent meetings,” said Thapar.However, industrialists pointed out that the absence of some department heads reduced the effectiveness of the exercise. They said the presence of all departments dealing with industry should be made mandatory so that decisions can be taken promptly.Arjun Pandit of the Textile Colony Small Industries Association said regular interaction between the district administration and industry would strengthen coordination and help resolve long-pending issues more efficiently.“Such single-window meetings used to be very useful. Since these were held regularly, there was clear allocation of responsibility, accountability and tracking of issues. Industrialists also knew who to approach for specific matters. Regular review of pending issues ensured that departments remained accountable and concerns did not remain unresolved for months,” he said.Industrialists also noted that since the meeting was held after a long gap, many entrepreneurs and department heads were unable to attend. They said a number of industry representatives were not aware of the meeting and, therefore, could not participate.They expressed hope that the district administration would continue the initiative and organise periodic single-window meetings with participation from all departments to facilitate ease of doing business and address industrial concerns in a more effective manner.Industrialists seek accountabilityIndustrialists seek regular meetings for faster resolution of industry-related issuesSay such meetings ensured accountability and follow-up on pending mattersIndustry representatives stress mandatory presence of all departments concernedAbsence of some department heads reduced effectiveness of recent meetingIndustrialists say many stakeholders could not attend as meeting was held after yearsDemand periodic interactions to improve ease of doing business and coordination with administrationIssues raised during meeting:–Erratic power supply–Inadequate civic infrastructure–Traffic congestion–Law-and-order concerns–Sewerage-related problems–Delays in govt clearances and approvals