Prateek Tanmay
3 min readMay 29, 2026 10:21 AM IST
The Chandigarh Administration has written to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) seeking an extension of the Punjab Right to Business Act in the UT, to further promote ease of doing business operations.
Chandigarh Deputy Commissioner Nishant Yadav told The Indian Express, “We have sent a proposal to MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) for adopting Punjab Right to Business Act. The act aims to promote ease of doing business by providing a time-bound and simplified system for setting up enterprises and Industries. The key features include a single window digital clearance mechanism, deemed approvals if departments fail to respond within the prescribed timeline, online submission and tracking of applications, reduction in unnecessary inspections and compliances and better coordination among government departments.”
He also said, “The Act especially supports MSMEs and new industries by ensuring transparency, accountability and faster approvals for permissions related to land, labour, power, pollution control and other regulatory requirements. This will encourage investment and employment generation in Chandigarh.”
Under the proposal, sent to the MHA on Wednesday, the UT administration will establish a “Chandigarh Bureau of Enterprise and Investment” as the nodal agency for facilitating investments, processing declarations of intent, issuing in-principle approvals and resolving grievances of enterprises. The bureau will be headed by the UT Secretary Industries as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Director Industries as Additional CEO.
The proposed framework also broadens the definition of “Approved Industrial Park” to include industrial estates, SEZs, biotech parks, IT parks, food processing parks and other projects approved by the UT Administration or the Centre.
The entire approval process for eligible enterprises — including filing declarations, obtaining in-principle approvals, inspections and grievance redressal — will be shifted to a fully digitised single-window portal. It provides for automatic deemed approvals through the portal without manual intervention, aimed at reducing delays and increasing transparency in clearances.
The proposed changes also empower the bureau to coordinate with the UT and Central departments, ensure expeditious clearances and implement policies promoting investment in Chandigarh. The bureau may reject applications only if the proposed enterprise falls under prohibited categories or if applications are materially deficient — with reasons required to be communicated in writing.
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It also lists multiple departments and services that will come under the ambit of the Act, including sanction of building plans, fire NOCs, labour registrations, pollution clearances, electricity and water connections. The departments covered include the Municipal Corporation, Estate Office, Labour Department, Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee and Chandigarh Power Distribution Limited.
The officials said the move is aimed at improving ease of doing business in Chandigarh by introducing a time-bound, technology-driven approval mechanism and aligning investment facilitation systems with reforms already implemented in Punjab.
