Jammu, Oct 8: The Confederation of Industries and Commerce (CIC), Jammu and Kashmir, has strongly criticized the Industries and Commerce (I&C) Department and its subsidiary, SIDCO, for their alleged failure to promote and sustain local industrial growth in the Union Territory. Addressing a press conference here today, Rakesh Sharma, president of CIC J&K, expressed serious concern over what he described as “administrative apathy” and “policy paralysis” that have hampered the development of the industrial sector in Jammu and Kashmir.
Sharma said SIDCO, once regarded as the backbone of Jammu’s industrial development and a driving force behind entrepreneurship, has completely lost its functional spirit. “The same department that once helped establish new industries and facilitated expansion of existing ones has now become a bottleneck, discouraging local entrepreneurs instead of supporting them,” he remarked.
Citing specific examples, Sharma pointed out that several local entrepreneurs who were allotted land at Balol Industrial Estate, Bari Brahmana, nearly seven years ago, are still unable to start their units because of bureaucratic delays in the renewal of EM Part-I, a basic departmental formality. “While new entrepreneurs from outside J&K are being swiftly issued EM Part-I registrations and offered every possible facilitation, local entrepreneurs continue to face years-long delays and neglect,” he said.
He further highlighted that a similar situation unfolded in 2022 when the I&C Department invited applications for plots in the Industrial Estate at Meen Charakan. “Local investors paid land premiums with the hope of setting up their units. But after collecting payments, the department abruptly announced it could not provide the promised land and that the entrepreneurs would either have to relocate or seek refunds with deductions,” Sharma alleged.
Calling it a “grave injustice,” he said the department’s negligence has caused irreparable loss to local industrialists, both in terms of time and hard-earned capital. “Responsibility must be fixed for this gross mismanagement. The affected entrepreneurs deserve compensation for the financial and emotional stress they have suffered due to departmental inefficiency,” Sharma demanded.
He alleged that while the government claims to promote ‘Ease of Doing Business,’ the reality for local entrepreneurs is the opposite. “Funds collected from small industrialists are being withheld, while land and facilities are being made readily available to outside investors, who are fast-tracked through every stage of the process,” he said, adding that this discriminatory approach has eroded the confidence of local investors in government institutions.
“The same system that facilitates large external players round the clock has failed even to acknowledge the legitimate grievances of its own local entrepreneurs,” Sharma asserted. He described this approach as “deeply demoralizing” for the region’s business community and urged the government to take immediate corrective measures.
The CIC president further appealed to the administration to revisit its policies, restore the credibility of SIDCO, and ensure a level playing field for local industrialists. “Jammu’s industrial growth depends on empowering local entrepreneurs. If this neglect continues, the very foundation of self-reliant industrial development in the region will collapse,” he cautioned.
Senior office bearers of CIC, including Pranav Mehta (Vice President), Harshvardhan (General Secretary), Raghav Sarin (Secretary), Rajesh Chaddha (Joint Secretary), and Chander Bhushan (Media Advisor), also attended the press conference and extended full support to Sharma’s statement, reiterating their collective demand for fairness, accountability, and immediate redressal of pending issues affecting the local industrial community.