IIA wants yearly green nod for Agra foundries to go

Talking to Business Standard, Amar Mittal, chairman, IIA (Agra chapter), said Uttar Pradesh was among the worst states in the country in industry facilitation.

The load of paperwork associated with operating an industrial unit was tremendous and affected the smooth running of business, according to him.

In Agra, he said it was mandatory to obtain the UP Pollution Control Department's (UPPCB's) consent to operate a foundry unit, and while the pollution control departments in other states gave consent for five years, in UP the department gives it for a year.

The foundry industry is fighting for survival because of the Union petroleum ministry's "clear lack of interest" in arranging for more natural gas for it. Mittal said a delegation of the IIA had met the regional officer of the UPPCB seeking change in the mandatory annual consent renewal policy.

The delegation told the officer that while foundry units in neighbouring states got consent for three to five years, there was no such provision in UP, which proved to be an additional annual financial burden on the ailing foundry industry of the town.

But he said due to some rule in the state, regional officers were not empowered to make decisions and now, a proposal was being drafted by the industry, outlining the principal policy changes required to facilitate the growth of foundries in Agra as well as the rest of the state.