Leh: Chief Secretary of Ladakh, Dr. Pawan Kotwal, chaired a meeting in Leh to review progress on deregulation and compliance reduction initiatives aimed at improving the ease of doing business across the Union Territory.
The review covered suggestions from the Task Force across eight priority areas, including flexible zoning for mixed-use development, amendments in building regulations to facilitate industrial growth, greater reliance on empanelled third parties for approvals and inspections, streamlined factory and trade license processes, and faster utility connections through a fully online system.
Dr. Kotwal stressed that Ladakh must set new benchmarks by minimizing compliance hurdles in housing, power, connectivity, and hotel registrations. He underlined the need for simplification of building bylaws, remarking that citizens should not face unnecessary bureaucratic delays.
Administrative Secretary Bhupesh Chaudhary directed departments to integrate reforms into the official online portal by August 7 and provide updated inputs for timely execution. The Chief Secretary asked all departments to submit detailed progress reports and updates before the deadline.
The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary Labour & Employment Sanjeev Khirwar; Administrative Secretaries Vikram Malik (PDD), Shashanka Ala (Rural Development), Michael D’Souza (PWD), Rahul Sharma (PHE), and Bhupesh Chaudhary (Agriculture & Horticulture); along with Directors, Chief Engineers, NIC officials, and the PMU team from the Tourism Department.
