CUTTACK: The Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) is bleeding revenue as around 90 per cent of business establishments in city are yet to apply for trade licence. About 11,000 traders have availed the mandatory trade licence till date whereas over one lakh business establishments including small, medium, large, wholesale and retail shops run within CMC jurisdiction. In the absence of any enforcement, the rest continue businesses without the licence.
As a result, the civic body is not only losing out on revenue but also does not have details of business establishments within its jurisdiction. Sources said the civic body’s trade licence system is in doldrums due to shortage of staff. Only one ‘licence moharir’ is posted with CMC against the sanctioned four required for covering all 59 wards in the city.
The corporation had issued a letter on September 4 in which 19 tax collectors were instructed to collect trade licence from the traders in wards no 1 to 34. Each tax collector was asked to collect at least five trade licences on a daily basis. However, the initiative did not yield the desired result.
What’s worse, the online platform for applying and renewing trade licences has been lying defunct for the last two months due to a software glitch. CMC deputy commissioner Latashree Bag said since there is no penalty provision in the bye-laws of Housing and Urban Development department for defaulting on trade licence, the traders do not turn up to either apply for new licences or renewing the existing ones.
“While there is no penalty provision, carrying out enforcement is meaningless and will yield no result. However, despite shortage of staff, we are trying our best to encourage traders to avail trade licence from CMC,” said Bag who also is in charge of the trade licence wing. She said steps are being taken to restore the online platform.