AP Chambers of Commerce and Industry Federation (AP Chambers) thanked Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and the Department of Food Processing for deciding to rationalise the building permit charges for Food Processing (FP) units, following up on the request made by it in April to reduce the building permit fee and other charges to encourage and promote the FP industries. 

Potluri Bhaskara Rao and B. Raja Sekhar, president and general secretary of AP Chambers respectively, said in a press release that it was a landmark step taken in response to concerns raised by industry stakeholders about the high municipal/UDA charges like building permit fee, development charges, betterment charges and site  approval and green fee. It would help attract the much-needed investments into the FP sector that plays a catalytic role in rural development. 

They observed that the Industries Department realised that the extension of UDA limits to rural areas resulted in escalation of the cost of setting up FP industries, which predominantly operate in rural and peri-urban areas. Taking it into account, the Chief Minister agreed to the AP Chambers’ request to bring down the charges. 

Mr. Bhaskar Rao and Mr. Raja Sekhar said that the relief announced on June 17 was in addition to the fiscal benefits announced in food processing policy, and no other State took such an investor-friendly decision. It would bring more investments in the FP sector, thereby generating employment and facilitating decongestion of urban areas by promoting development in the rural and peri-urban zones.