Srinagar, April 27: The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Monday raised a wide range of regulatory and operational concerns affecting businesses during an interaction with senior officials from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA).
The session, held at the Chamber’s office in Srinagar, was attended by Ramesh Mishra, Regional Director (North), MCA, and Haamid Bukhari, Registrar of Companies (RoC) for Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
KCCI President Javid Ahmad Tenga welcomed the visiting officials and presented a detailed memorandum highlighting key issues faced by companies, professionals, and stakeholders across the Union Territory. The meeting was attended by past presidents, executive members, chartered accountants, company secretaries, and representatives of various firms.
The Chamber described the interaction as significant, noting it was the first time an MCA Regional Director had visited its office for direct engagement with the business community.
Among major concerns raised were limited participation of J&K-based companies in the Prime Minister’s Internship Scheme, persistent technical glitches on the MCA21 portal, delays in updating company records, and the absence of an effective grievance redressal mechanism. KCCI also called for a one-time settlement scheme to facilitate closure of inactive companies.
A key issue highlighted was the functioning of the RoC office in Srinagar. The Chamber urged that it be made fully operational on the earlier Darbar Move pattern, stating that stakeholders currently face delays and inconvenience due to limited staff presence and the need to route matters through Jammu.
KCCI further pointed out that the Kashmir Valley accounts for nearly 55 percent of companies in the Union Territory, making a functional local office critical. Concerns relating to Ladakh were also raised, with a demand for a camp office or helpdesk to improve access to services.
The Chamber also flagged issues related to Director Identification Numbers (DIN), including penalties for multiple DINs, and sought a one-time amnesty scheme. Additional concerns included delays in approvals, adjudication pendency, and compliance challenges faced by startups and small companies.
Responding to the issues, Mishra acknowledged the concerns as substantive and reflective of ground realities, while emphasising the importance of continued stakeholder engagement. Bukhari attributed several challenges to system-driven issues and assured efforts to address genuine grievances.
He also announced that such interactive sessions would be institutionalised and held at least twice a year to ensure regular dialogue and resolution of issues.
The meeting concluded with both sides agreeing to strengthen coordination to improve regulatory efficiency and ease of doing business in Jammu & Kashmir.
