Corporation cracks whip on unlicensed traders

On the morning of October 19, ten shops were sealed opposite to the Egmore Railway Station for violating these norms. Dr Subodh Kumar, Regional Deputy Commissioner (Central), said raids have been conducted in Zone 9 (Teynampet). “Every trader should have a trade licence, without which they cannot function, as per norms. We have been taking action against those who are running their establishments without proper licenses. The Revenue Department already has a team in place to ensure that traders operate with licences. The enforcement mechanism is in place and we will penalise those without proper licences,” said the senior official. Another Corporation official said that efforts have been made to appeal to the traders’ associations. “We are proactively interacting with traders’ associations and will be requesting them to speak to their members. With proper awareness, we hope that the traders too will cooperate with us,” said the official.

Surendar Vyas, Secretary of Federation of Madras Merchants and Manufacturers Association, said there was a communication gap between the local body and traders. “This is an additional burden on traders, who have so many other licences and local taxes to pay. But the main problem is that there is no efficient system in place to ensure speedy issue of trade licences. The officials say that one can apply online but that system doesn’t work. The trader is forced to go to the zonal office for the procedures, which takes a huge amount of time. There is no clarity in place. That is the need of the hour,” said the merchant. 

Vyas also added that the association has, in the past, helped the local body by encouraging traders to apply for the licence. “Around 20-25 per cent of the traders applied for the licence. But after a year, instead of penalising traders without licence, the officials were harassed those who already had licences. Some of the traders were also threatened. The traders were not approached properly,” he added.

According to the traders, the Corporation should first create awareness among its employees and then the traders. He also added that the process should be streamlined. “The licence itself is not so expensive but the hassle takes up a lot of time. Instead of yearly renewal, if the Corporation can work out a three or five-year licence period, it would really help the traders and streamline the process,” concluded Vyas.