BMC to act against shop owners misusing licences

MUMBAI, Dec 6: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to initiate action against shop-owners flouting conditions laid d...

MUMBAI, Dec 6: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to initiate action against shop-owners flouting conditions laid down by the corporation while issuing weather board licences. Weather board licences are issued to shop-owners for display of signboards, but the BMC has found most shop-owners violating licence conditions and using even footpaths as extended shop area.

Deputy municipal commissioner (licences) Chandrashekhar Rokde issued a circular to senior inspectors (licences) in all wards last week asking them not to renew weather board licences unless all conditions were satisfied.

The licence department has been asked to ensure that all illegal projections, extensions, show-cases, unauthorised beautifications, and articles hanging on hooks be removed within a specified time period. Rokde has also asked the department to deal firmly with shop-owners who don’t have these licences and yet exhibit their signboards and products beyond the prescribed area.

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According to figuresavailable with the BMC, a total of 48,460 weather board licences have been issued in 23 wards of the city. The largest number — 11,564 — is in `C’ ward, and the least — seven — in M/East ward. But top officials said the actual users of the licence far outnumbered the actual possessors.

At a recent meeting of licence department authorities and other officials, including the municipal commissioner, it was also proposed to increase the licence fee for shops to boost revenue. At present, BMC earns Rs 35 crore annually from shop licences, while its expenditure is Rs 10 crore.