Mumbai, February 24 (NationPress) In a significant move to enhance the ease of doing business, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) announced a cut in the approval and renewal period for industrial consent letters by an impressive 50%, as stated by government officials.

The timeframe for granting permissions to establish industries, issue consent letters, and renew them for red, orange, and green category establishments has been slashed by over 50%.

This strategic decision is intended to alleviate burdens on industrial establishments across the state.

"Aligned with the Central government's initiative for Ease of Doing Business and the state government's Developed Maharashtra 2047 vision, the MPCB has reduced the prior 30-day approval period to just 15 days for Green Category industries seeking consent to set up operations and for renewing their consent. For Orange Category industries, the 45-day timeframe for establishing consent is now 24 days. Similarly, the previous 60 days for commencing operations or renewing consent in this category has been cut down to 24 days. In the case of Red Category industries, the previous approval timelines of 60 days for establishment consent, 90 days for operational consent, and 120 days for renewal have been condensed to merely 40 days, the MPCB explained in a statement.

The MPCB anticipates that this reduction in approval time for establishing industries, initiating operations, and renewing consent will significantly boost the state's industrial growth.

In prior measures, substantial relief was also extended to industrial establishments by including 850 industries under the White Category and adding another nine industries to the Blue Category, bringing the total to 17 categories.

This decision by the MPCB was influenced by recommendations from a study committee that assessed consent management systems in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Gujarat.

Despite Maharashtra already being a frontrunner in industrial development due to its extensive number of industries, this new directive by the Board aims to further expedite growth by ensuring quicker approvals for various industrial processes.

With the launch of a faceless online computerized system and significantly shortened approval timelines, it is projected that industrial investment in Maharashtra will receive a robust boost, stated Member Secretary M. Devender Singh.

He emphasized that the Board is committed to proactively facilitating the necessary permissions for industries swiftly, reiterating its mission to act as an "Industry Friend" for business growth and prosperity.