Initiative to generate huge revenue
Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, Sept 5: In its major initiative to generate huge revenue, the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) has directed all the traders/ businessmen, hoteliers, owners of factories, gas agencies, bar and restaurants, wine shops, drug stores, garments dealers, karyana stores, Dhaba, bakery, tea stall owners etc, to apply for obtaining license to the JMC by submitting fees. The JMC has also fixed heavy renewal fee for each category of these establishments.
Official sources told the Excelsior that an order in this connection has been issued today by the Commissioner, Jammu Municipal Corporation.
The sources revealed that the decision for issuance of Licenses (No Objection Certificates) to all type of traders/ businessmen by charging License fee and annual renewal fee was taken in the 5th General House Meeting of the Corporation on July 17, this year, under Municipal Corporation Act 2000. Though initially such an order was issued during 2015 but it was not implemented. Even after creation of JMC, some decisions were still pending.
Giving more details, the sources said that for getting NOC / License for a printing press a fee of Rs 11,000 has been fixed while Rs 7700 will be the renewal fee for 11 months only. The fee for the NOC of the hotel of class A has been fixed as Rs 27,500 with renewal fee of Rs 16,500; for class B License fee of Rs 16,500 and renewal fee of Rs 7700 while class C hotel fee is Rs 11,000 and Rs 5500 as renewal charges.
For Nursing Homes and opening Liquor Bars, the JMC’s NOC fee will be Rs 33,000 while there will be renewal fee of Rs 22,000 and Rs 16,500, respectively for 11 months. Even for opening any bank branch the concerned have to take license by paying a huge fee of Rs 22,000 and renewal fee of Rs 11,000 has been fixed for it. For opening ATMs, the License fee will be Rs 11,000 and Rs 5500 as renewal charges.
The people having Bar with Restaurants or plan to open the same, have to pay Rs 49,500 to JMC as NOC fee and Rs 27,500 as renewal fee after 11 months. The License Fee for Restaurants, Cofee House, Eating Point, Automobile Showrooms, Diagnostic Centres, Health Care Centres, Goldsmith shops, Gas agencies, Wine shops, Medium Scale factories, Readymade Wholesale Garments outlet/ retail showrooms, Multipurpose stores, Wholesale electric shops, Catering units/ agencies, Wholesale Medical shops, Class A lodges/ guest houses, have been fixed as Rs 16,500 while the renewal fee will be almost half of it.
Tea stall and Dhaba owners have to pay a License fee of Rs 2200 while annual renewal charges will be Rs 1100; Halwais ( small) will pay Rs 5500 as license Fee while annual charges will be Rs 2750; Big Halwais will now have to pay Rs 11,000 as License fee while Rs 5500 as renewal fee; All the Rehari vendors with cooked food will have to pay License fee of Rs 1650 as revised fee and Rs 825 as renewal charges; Fast food shops Rs 11000 as License fee and Rs 5500 as renewal charges; while all the Medical retail shops, retail hardware shops, small factories, Karyana / provisional stores, retail electric shops, workshops/ service stations will pay Rs 11000 as License fee and Rs 5500 as renewal charges.
Bakery shops, retail meat/ fish shops and all type of petty shops having annual turnover of Rs 12 lakh whll have to pay License fee of Rs 2200 and renewal fee of Rs 1100 for 11 months. Petrol Pump owners have now to pay License fee of Rs 11,000 and renewal fee of Rs 5500; Hardware stores wholesale/ manufacturers have to pay Rs 16,500 as License fee and Rs 7700 as renewal charges while hardware retailers will have to pay Rs 11,000 as NOC and Rs 5500 as renewal charges.
If a trader deposits fee of 3 years, he will be given rebate of 20%. The License holders will have to give undertaking not to use Polythene bags in their establishments, no Gen sets will be installed outside unit/ outlet; they shall maintain hygiene and sanitation in and around their establishments, make use of blue and green bins and abide by the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016, shall not violate building laws / Master Plan and shall provide space for parking of vehicles/ bikes to customers. They have to obtain NOC also from PCB, PDD and Fire Services also. In case of any violation or wrong information, the JMC shall have the right to cancel the License, the sources said.
Commissioner, Jammu Municipal Corporation, Pankaj Magotra when contacted said this is basically an old order. During 2015, the efforts were made to implement the order but they didn’t materialize. It is just revision of that order and rates. He claimed that some people had applied for the same but that number is very small. Now, JMC plans to implement the order strictly.
Some of the Karyana store owners, a wine shop trader, a Dhaba and tea stall owner when asked for any such license they applied to the JMC in the past, said they never did so and no body asked for the same. They said it must be new order and if implemented, they will suffer badly as the fee amount is very exorbitant.
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