A business owner should not have to spend months moving from office to office for permissions. Equally, a family should not discover that a newly approved building blocks its drainage, worsens traffic or pollutes its water. Jammu and Kashmir’s Ease of Doing Business legislation must work for both.The legislation seeks to encourage investment and enterprise while improving people’s lives. These are welcome objectives. But passing a law does not automatically produce the people, information, infrastructure and working arrangements needed to deliver them.

Experienced administrators, planners and business commentators have raised concerns about approvals granted when deadlines expire, restrictions on inspections, changes in land use and relaxation of planning requirements. Government should examine these concerns, explain its position and make necessary corrections to the law. Implementation rules cannot repair every legislative weakness.

The legislation also contains environmental and public-interest protections. These need to work on the ground. If a substantial review or amendment is not forthcoming, preparing for responsible implementation becomes even more urgent.A quickly issued approval matters to an entrepreneur. What ultimately matters to society is whether the enterprise operates successfully, creates lasting jobs and meets its responsibilities to workers and neighbours.

Who will pay for implementationThe financial memorandum accompanying the published legislative text states that the proposed Bill involves no recurring or non-recurring expenditure from the Consolidated Fund of Jammu and Kashmir—in everyday terms, no such expenditure from the government’s principal fund.This needs explanation. It does not mean that implementation costs nothing. Existing departmental budgets and staff may be expected to cover the work, or industrial authorities and other bodies may bear the expense. But staff and money already committed to existing duties cannot simply be assumed to be available.

Updating maps, checking proposals, connecting departmental records, training officials and investigating complaints all require resources. Sewage and industrial-effluent treatment, fire services and worker facilities require investment and regular maintenance. Government should publish an implementation plan with costs and funding sources. It should explain what existing resources can cover, what additional support is needed and whether other work will suffer. Assigning new responsibilities without providing the means to fulfil them risks disappointing businesses and citizens alike.

Can agencies meet the deadlinesShorter approval periods can save businesses money. They work well when officials have reliable information and timely access to expert advice.Consider a proposed commercial building.........

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