Delhi LG Sandhu sets November-end deadline for pending deregulation reforms
With 22 of 23 first-phase priorities done, Delhi's Lieutenant Governor wants the remaining ease-of-business fixes wrapped up before the year's final stretch.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu has told departments to finish all pending deregulation measures by the end of November, after several earlier deadlines slipped. At a review meeting on Thursday, he pressed officials to speed up delivery and asked the Industries Department to clear any bottlenecks that could be settled on the spot.
The scorecard shows progress. In the first phase, 22 of 23 priority areas are now complete, up from 17 at the August review. The lone holdout is rationalising minimum road-width requirements for industries in rural areas, which is expected to be finalised soon. The urbanisation of 48 rural villages is also done, with the Gazette notification issued.
The second phase, launched in January 2026, covers 23 priority areas and five optional ones. Officials said most are complete and the rest are at advanced stages. The one pending priority item is a change to the land-use framework so that activities are permitted unless specifically prohibited, linked to the PM-UDAY scheme.
For shopkeepers and small businesses, the practical items are the most telling. The list includes scrapping duplicate Municipal Corporation of Delhi licences, perpetual registration for shops and commercial establishments, and electricity connections of up to 200 kW without inspection. Environmental appraisal bodies are also to meet more often, which should shorten waits for project clearances.
Building approvals could get lighter too. A proposal to drop four no-objection certificates from the building-plan process, covering the Delhi Jal Board, the Chief Inspector of Factories, the Forest Department and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, is near finalisation with the DDA and MCD. In healthcare, simpler registration for medical practitioners has been vetted by the Law Department and awaits approval, while a third-party agency could become a single nodal point for healthcare licences.
Education and legislation are part of the push. Final notifications on Legal Metrology Act licensing and private-school infrastructure norms are out. The Education Department has been asked to consider Master Plan for Delhi 2047 changes to relax school development norms and simplify the essentiality certificate. The Delhi Ease of Doing Business Bill, 2026, has Cabinet approval and sits with the Ministry of Home Affairs, while the Delhi Private University Bill was cleared by the Cabinet on September 23 for the Assembly.
Why it matters: for founders, traders and school operators, the gap between a announced reform and one that actually cuts paperwork is where time and money get lost. Sandhu's message was that implementation must catch up with missed deadlines. The Chief Secretary, MCD Commissioner and DDA Vice-Chairman were among those present. Source: The Pioneer.