Delhi Cuts Approval Time From 120 Days To 20 For Green Industries

The Delhi Government has slashed the approval time for Consent to Operate (CTO) from 120 days to just 20 days for Green Category industries. Applications will now be deemed approved if no action is taken within that period - a move government says will end long-standing delays and procedural bottlenecks.

The announcement was made on Monday by Environment and Industries Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa who called the reform "historic," claiming it will benefit more than 65 categories of low-pollution industries operating in the capital.

"This is a long-awaited change. We've done what could not be done in the last 50 years," the Minister said at a press conference, thanking Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta for backing the reform. "Most of these sectors are driven by small and medium enterprises, and they've been trapped in red tape for far too long."

The move is aimed at simplifying operations for non-polluting units such as apparel manufacturers, cold storage facilities, ayurvedic medicine producers (without boilers), packaging, furniture, toys, and aluminium product makers, among others.

Under the new rules, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) will have 20 days to decide on a CTO application. If no response comes within that time, the clearance will be granted automatically - no further follow-ups or documentation required.

The reform will take effect from August 2025.

According to the Minister, the change is part of a broader push to streamline governance and improve ease of doing business in the capital. A Single Window System is also being rolled out across departments to integrate approvals and cut down manual processes.

"This is the end of the old License Raj mentality," Mr Sirsa said. "We are shifting to a trust-based, time-bound model that gives businesses the confidence to invest and expand."

Industry representatives have welcomed the announcement but feel implementation on the ground would be key.

The reform also aligns with the Centre's push for Ease of Doing Business and is being projected by the BJP-led Delhi government as part of its commitment to make the capital more business-friendly - especially for the MSME sector.

For small and medium-sized industries, long caught in approval limbo, this could be the break they've been waiting for. But as the deadline-driven model replaces months of paperwork, one question hangs in the air - will it work as promised when the first applications hit the system?