Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee’s call for greater regulation of infrastructre sectors at Tuesday’s Economic Editor’s Conference echoed concerns made by experts in recent months. Sectors essential to growth and development of infrastructure are in dire need of independent regulators to set standards and guide policy implementation, the minister said. However, his plan would establish numerous industry specific regulators rather than one all-encompassing regulatory body for infrastructure, a plan which has generated steam.

“Serious deliberations are underway for establishing a regulator for the coal sector and similar thought is now being given to other infrastructure sectors as well,” the finance minister said. Sectors such as roads and mining could establish regulators as calls for such entities become louder.

Mukherjee celebrated the country’s ability to establish independent regulators in sectors such as airports, power, telecommunications and ports, which is purely a tariff regulator. However, each commission’s independence from the Centre is the chief concern among private companies who have witnessed collusion, such as that between state electricity regulators and their respective state governments.

Though Mukherjee supported separate regulators, he agreed there was the need for a common vision at the regional level.