Jul 10, 2017: Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has initiated several reforms to ease the process of consent approvals for industries in Maharashtra. Recently, MPCB received a Civil Service award for initiating best practices under ‘Ease of Doing Business’ Project, which is the launch of its new web portal developed to streamline the process of consent application for commencing industries in Maharashtra. The web portal is designed and developed with the initiation of the web portal also marking a contribution to the ‘Make in India’ initiative.

In order to establish a new industry in Maharashtra, it requires certain important permissions from MPCB to start the operations. If any business is releasing intoxicants in land, water or air, in any form, it needs to get the consent from MPCB.

The prime aim of the web portal is to speed up the process of industrialization in Maharashtra by providing the online application for consent approvals, thus simplifying the procedures and cutting down time consumption. It is also developed to ensure that industries stay compliant with the environmental protocols set by the Government in order to reduce pollution. Industries can apply for consent and applications like E-waste, plastic, hazardous waste, biomedical or statutory reports online. The new process will minimize human interface and speed up the process of delivering certificates to industries. The foremost advantage of MPCB web portal is the reduction in processing time, and the disposal period of consent is reduced to 60 days from 120 days. The shortened time limit will encourage more industries to set-up their business in Maharashtra, which will help the state to improve its economic background.

To ensure the industries have maintained its pollution under control, MPCB has introduced the web-based ‘Randomized Risk Based Inspection and Sampling’, which is part of the web portal.