BMC lodges complaints with police over touts collecting trade licence fee

Bhubaneswar: Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has lodged complaints in two police stations in the state capital against unidentified individuals posing as authorised agents of the civic body to collect licence fees from traders.The civic body has come across several instances of such individuals trying to woo traders with a promise to help them pay the fees and get trade licence. “Two complaints — one in Kharavela Nagar police station and another in Chandrasekharpur — were lodged from our side. Police have so far not been able to identify the touts,” said BMC deputy commissioner (revenue) Ajay Mohanty.BMC officials said the middlemen mostly act as mediators for small vendors who don’t want to go through the entire process of applying for a trade licence online.“Since BMC does not have the details of traders, the touts are taking advantage. We are trying to bring most of the traders under the licence ambit. Also, we suspect that there could be many more middlemen in the market than what meets the eye,” Mohanty added.Apart from trade licences, BMC has also received complaints of brokers entering the realm of house allotment to slum residents under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) as well as offering help in holding tax collection. “In some cases, it is also reported that vendors fall into the trap of the agents as they try to hide the type and size of their trade,” an officer said.“Many traders are under the impression that the middlemen can help them avoid BMC’s wrath while they obtain the trade licence. For that, these touts charge some commission,” Mohanty said.A trade licence certificate should be obtained or renewed annually, for which a licence fee has to be paid based on the type of trade and size.One of the reasons why the agents are able to take advantage is that at least 10,000 traders in the city are outside the ambit of trade licence administration. While identifying trade and traders is a dynamic process, the BMC is yet to evolve a scientific approach to enrol new traders into licensing, another officer revealed.As per standard practice, new traders volunteer to register for a trade licence certificate. If they do not do so, they manage to evade paying licence fee until they are caught during surprise raids.