Kanpur, Nov. 2 -- The Union ministry of corporate affairs (MCA) has decided to bifurcate the Kanpur-based office of the registrar of companies (ROC) in Uttar Pradesh, creating a new office in Noida that will begin operations on January 26 next year and handle matters related to companies based in 17 districts of western Uttar Pradesh. The ministry issued a notification to this effect on October 23. Until now, all company-related registrations and compliance matters in the state were handled by the ROC, Kanpur. Around 2.5 lakh companies are currently registered under the jurisdiction of ROC Kanpur. The highest among them are from Noida, followed by Lucknow and Kanpur.Following the division, the ROC, Kanpur will continue to oversee the central and eastern regions of the state, where industrial activity is comparatively limited. However, the move has drawn criticism from chartered accountants and company secretaries, who termed it "inappropriate", arguing that the new arrangement would increase their workload and require frequent travel to Noida. Adesh Tandon, chairman of the corporate committee of the Merchants Chambers of Commerce, Uttar Pradesh, said, "Dividing the ROC in two parts in the state is not justified. From Kanpur, no district is too far. Also, managing 2.5 lakh companies is not an unmanageable number." Vaibhav Agnihotri, former chairman of the Institute of Company Secretaries, said, "A notification has been issued for division of office. Many CAs and CSes in Kanpur handle compliance work for Noida-based companies. They will now have to travel there, which will add to their burden."...