CII asks Himachal to make industrial policy investor-friendly

Shimla, May 25 (IANS) The Himachal Pradesh government should update its industrial policy and make it more investor-friendly, the industry lobby Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) said Friday.

"There is need for updating the industrial policy as it was nine years old. We should keep industrial policy at par with other industrially developed neighbouring states like Punjab which updated its policy in 2009 after incorporating suggestions from CII," C.N. Dhar, senior vice president of CII's state chapter, told reporters here.

Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma, who was here Wednesday, had blamed the state government for pursuing policies not congenial to investors.

"The industrialists are being asked to pay for laying the transmission grid (to provide electricity to their industrial unit)," Sharma had told reporters.

He said the state had an acute shortage of water - both for drinking and industrial purposes - besides poor road connectivity.

Dhar said the lack of connectivity - road, air and rail - was a major bottleneck for rapid industrialization.

"The state should concentrate more on improving network of roads," said Dhar.