THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Efforts would be taken to free investors from bureaucratic red-tapism while initiating a venture, Minister for Industries Elamaram Karim has said.

He was speaking here at a face-to-face programme organised by the Kerala Small Scale Industries Association to address the problems faced by the members of small-scale industrial units in the district, on Tuesday. "The Single Window Clearance Act will be amended soon and stern measures would be taken to rid the Kochi harbour of immoral activities," the Minister said.

Mr. Karim urged the members to adopt scientific methods to prevent pollution by the industries. "A notice issued by the Pollution Control Board or the Labour Commissioner to the industries for adhering to the rules should not be disregarded," he told them.

C. Chandramohanan, vice president of the association, talked about the hardships faced by the flex printing industries.

He complained of `harassment' by the Value Added Tax officials while transporting the materials required for setting up a hoarding. The advertisement tax in some panchayats was higher than that of municipality and corporation, he said.

Mr. Chandramohanan criticised the tendency among authorities to remove authorised hoardings without any prior warning. "As a result most of the construction materials are rendered unusable. The local bodies should be given the necessary direction to inform the association before embarking on such measures," he added.

K.G. Madhu, secretary of the association, who delivered a power-point presentation on the industrial scenario in the State, said that 24 per cent of the industrial units in the State are sick.

"Everything except industries is graduating in the State. There is no large scale industrial unit in the State owing to minimal investment by the Central Government," he said.

Fear of legal compliance is another factor that prevents a number of industrial units from growing in the State. Yet another factor is a lack of corporate culture. Most of the industrial units in the State are individual initiatives. The tax regime in the State is also not feasible for development, he said.

P. Ganesh, South Zone representative, Confederation of Indian Industries said the Single Window Clearance System should be implemented throughout the State. At present it is implemented effectively only at KINFRA. He also suggested the constitution of a `land bank' by taking back all the lands unused by defunct industrial units.

The function was also attended by Principal Secretary, Industries, T. Balakrishnan, Secretary, Investment Promotion, P.H. Kurian, Director, Industries Department, T.O. Sooraj, and District Collector N. Ayyappan.

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