Single-window clearance for urban projects by November 30, says Venkaiah Naidu

NEW DELHI: The government will soon provide a single-window clearance for urban development projects, Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu said, a move that will help address the issue of delays in approvals. "By November 30, we will be bringing out a notification about easy approvals...like a single-window clearance is in the offing by November end," the urban development minister said at the 'National Strategy Day on India' organised by the World Economic Forum and industry body CII.

Once that framework is operational the delays in approvals will be addressed, Naidu said. The government has announced 100 smart cities and housing for all by 2022, targets that are likely to get easier to achieve with this initiative. Naidu said extensive discussions have been held with the ministries of environment, civil aviation, defence, culture and consumer affairs. India is ranked a dismal 183 out of 189 countries on the World Bank's ease of doing business for 2016 on the parameter of 'dealing with construction permits', which underscores the urgency of reforms in this respect.

"The government is serious about improving the ease of doing business... Things will improve," Naidu said. The government is also mulling city-wise special purpose vehicles for each project to fix the shortcomings of the public-private partnership or PPP projects. Naidu said the government is working on a policy for converting waste to energy and waste to compost.