State drags its feet on EoDB initiatives

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Even as the country made a leap in the World Bank’s ease of doing index, ranking 77 against the 100th position last time, the state government’s attempt to bring a laudable change in the industrial arena by starting ‘Ease of doing business’ (EoDB) initiatives has reached nowhere allegedly due to the lethargy of officers and successive changes at the helm of KSIDC and Industries Department, along with some vested interests.

The state which has slipped to the 21st position in the 2017-18 ranking of states, from the 18th position, based on the Business Action Plan by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, has mooted introduction of new web portal Kerala Single Window Interface for Fast Disposal and Transparency (K-SWIFT) and a unique Intelligent Building Planning Management Software as part of the EoDB.However, the commercial rollout of K-SWIFT, which offers a unified application for securing permits from various departments through a single gateway, and IBPMS, which accepts new building permit applications only through the system, are yet to see the light of the day.

Though the IBPMS was introduced on an experimental basis in 13 urban local bodies in the state, including Thiruvananthapuram, the commercial launch of the service through the IBPMS for the industry is yet to be done by the authorities.

The state government has announced the official launch of K-SWIFT a couple of times but had to be postponed due to various reasons.

A senior bureaucrat privy to the ease of doing business project of the KSIDC, which is a nodal agency for implementing the project, said the K-SWIFT prepared by the NIC was ready for launch by last May and June, while the introduction of IBPMS faces a lot of resistance from the field chiefly from vested interest, which is one of the main reasons for the delay in extending the service of the software throughout the state.
The main reason for the protest is that accepting new building permit applications through the IBPMS will do away the scope of indulging in corruption in the sector, which is one of the most corrupt sectors in the state, said the officer.

Urban Affairs Director R Girija said the integration of the K-SWIFT software with IBPMS will take some time as the IBPMS is now receiving only applications of residential buildings through the system. It can be integrated with the K-SWIFT only after the commercial launch of software throughout the state. But, certainly, integrate it, she said.  

Another senior officer with the Panchayat Directorate said: “We have our own Sanketham software for building plan approval which has to be integrated with the K-SWIFT for which we have given a representation to the state government and it is not known how much time it will take for the launch of the new integrated software.”

Once the new full-fledged system is launched, an entrepreneur will not have to knock on the doors of various departments to get the necessary clearance from different departments for starting a venture.
Industries Minister E P Jayarajan said the state government will speed up the process to get the project launched, while Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation officers refused to comment on the issue even after a formal letter they sought for a comment on the issue.