FCIK urges government action to stabilise wood-based industries in Kashmir

Srinagar, 06-02-2026: The Federation of Chambers of Industries Kashmir on Thursday said it has approached the government seeking timely intervention to address long-pending issues affecting wood-based industrial units in the Valley and to ensure early issuance of formal orders on matters already deliberated with the Forest Department.

In a detailed representation submitted to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force, the Federation welcomed the recent reconstitution of the State Level Committee tasked with overseeing issues related to wood-based industries. At the same time, it expressed concern over the composition of the newly constituted committee, arguing that key institutional stakeholders with a long-standing role in policy engagement had not been adequately recognized.

While the reconstitution order provides for inclusion of a representative from the Saw Mill Association, the Federation said that its own recognition as a representative body should have originated from the Forest Department itself. It underlined that the Federation has, for decades, played a central institutional role in addressing regulatory, legal and policy challenges faced by the wood-based industrial sector in Jammu and Kashmir. As part of its submission, the Federation recalled that its former president had served on a six-member committee constituted in 2009–10 to engage with the Supreme Court and the Central Empowered Committee in the landmark T.N. Godavarman forest conservation case.

Seeking a more structured role, the Federation requested that it be formally recommended as a permanent member of the State Level Committee. According to FCIK, such representation would ensure that policy decisions are informed by ground-level industry realities and would help bridge the gap between regulatory objectives and industrial viability.

The Federation also raised concerns over licensing requirements, particularly for units that use agro-forestry timber and other eligible wood products sourced from legitimate and verified channels. It sought exemption from the requirement of obtaining a forest licence for such units, arguing that this would reduce procedural hurdles without compromising environmental safeguards.

Highlighting inconsistencies in regulatory treatment, FCIK pointed out that while furniture units have been brought under a one-time registration regime, similar relief has not been extended to manufacturers of wooden fruit boxes, plywood and veneer units, cricket bat manufacturers, or furniture and joinery units. The Federation said this uneven application of rules has created uncertainty and operational challenges for a large segment of the wood-based industry.

In addition, FCIK urged the government to expedite the identification and approval of pending industrial clusters as notified industrial estates. It also sought delinking of consents issued by the Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Committee from the issuance and renewal of forest licences, stating that the two processes serve distinct regulatory purposes and should not be interlinked.

The Federation further called for alignment of Jammu and Kashmir’s rules governing the transfer of forest licences with central guidelines, which permit transfer through sale as well as inheritance. According to FCIK, harmonising local regulations with national norms would provide legal clarity and facilitate smoother business continuity.

Emphasising the urgency of the matter, the Federation said early and decisive intervention by the government would help restore confidence among entrepreneurs, bring regulatory certainty, and provide long-term stability to the wood-based industrial sector in the Union Territory, which supports livelihoods across manufacturing, transport and allied services.