Published by Authority
No. 36] CHANDIGARH, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2026 (BHADRA 13, 1948 SAKA)
PART I
Punjab Government Notifications and Orders
GOVERNMENT OF PUNJAB
WATER RESOURCES DEPARTMENT
(Irrigation Personnel-3 Branch)
NOTIFICATION
The 31st August, 2026
No:WR-IRP3017/70/2026-3IP3/I/1488523/2026.-The Governor of Punjab is pleased to formulate Standard Operation Procedure (SOP) and Timeline for processing of Approval to be issued for "Photography Permission" for the integration of WRD Portal with the Invest Punjab Business First Portal, is framed as under:-
( 1797 )1798 PUNJAB GOVT. GAZ., SEPTEMBER 4, 2026 (BHDR 13, 1948 SAKA) PART I]
• Maximum time for approval is 7 days after the submission of complete application on the Portal.
• The Mechanism followed is 3-3-1 (3 days for pre-scrutiny, 3 days for detailed scrutiny and 1 days for follow-up query).
• The application shall be deemed to be approved if the time for approval (i.e. sum total of time for which application is present with the department) exceeds 7 days.
• In case of shooting is cancelled or application is declined due to any reason before final approval, than 25% of total fee paid as processing fee, is non-refundable.
NOTE:-
A. Withdrawal of Applications
All the regulatory application submitted on IP-BFP Portal will provide the applicant the option of withdrawing the application when the application is pending for observations/clarification at applicant end. The application can be withdrawn at: -
1. Scrutiny stage: In case the applicant is unable to complete the application or provide requisite documents, or
2. Processing Stage: When an observation or clarification is raised to the applicant and the applicant is unable to provide the requisite response or doesn't have the necessary compliance.
In case of withdrawn application, the applicant will always have to submit a new application, when he is ready to pursue the regulatory clearance.
B. Deactivation of Application mechanism:-
and there is no response or action from applicant on the application, then three reminders will be send PART I] PUNJAB GOVT. GAZ., SEPTEMBER 4, 2026 (BHDR 13, 1948 SAKA) 1799 from the system. Failure to comply within the stipulated timeframe shall result in the automatic removal of the application from the portal. The applicant will have to submit a fresh application whenever he wants to pursue the regulatory clearance as the facts of the case would have changed and under no scenario a closed application can be revived.
C. Escalation Mechanism for Rejection
Any of the regulatory applications if to be rejected, can only be rejected by the competent authority of the respective clearance as per the requisite policy/notification(s). The other officers in the workflow may propose the case for rejection, which will be escalated to the competent authority who shall review and issue the rejection, if found appropriate. Else the competent authority may direct the concerned to re-examine the case if grounds of rejection are not considered appropriate.
A case which has been proposed for rejection cannot be deemed approved while still being reviewed by the competent authority for further action. The XEN/HQ may have 2 working days to decide a case proposed for rejection.
The rejection may be in the following cases:-
I. During the scrutiny stage, where the applicant fails to rectify the deficiencies or submit a complete application in response to the observations raised by the Division, the application may be proposed for rejection/return by recording reasons therefor.
II. During the processing stage, after the applicant has responded to the observation as well as final clarification, if the case is yet not fit for approval, the same may be rejected on merits/demerits by the competent authority as per the policy.
Deemed Approval Mechanism
• Wherever the provision of Deemed Approval is applicable under the Punjab Right to Business Act, 2020, the Punjab Right to Business Rules, 2021, or any other policy/instructions issued by the Government from time to time, the applications received through the Invest Punjab Portal shall be processed accordingly.
The concerned authorities shall ensure strict adherence to the timelines prescribed under this SOP. The application shall be deemed to be approved if the time for approval (i.e. sum total of time for which application is present with the department) exceeds 7 days.
E. Applicability
The provisions of this Standard Operating Procedure shall be applicable to all applications for Photoshoot permissions received through the Water Resources Department Portal, Invest Punjab Portal, or any other Government-approved digital platform notified by the Government from time to time.
KRISHAN KUMAR, IAS Chandigarh
Principal Secretary, Govt. of Punjab, The 24th August, 2026
Department of Water Resources.
3816$9-2026/Pb. Govt. Press, S.A.S. Nagar