Licence renewal is a way of collecting bribes say, traders

Refusal to pay BBMP officials leads to harassment

By Yukta Mudgal

Traders in Bengaluru think renewal of licence every year is a BBMP ploy to collect bribes.

Siddaram H, president of the Indiranagar Trade Association, said: “BBMP charges extra for bars and restaurants. For instance, they charge Rs 50,000 for renewing a trade licence with one year validity. On top of that, they ask us to pay for the microbrewery in lakhs. My question is, if we are paying for our bar and restaurant, then why do we have to pay for the microbrewery just because they charge according to horsepower?”

Manish Ramaswamy, a shop owner in Jayanagar, said: “Trade licence is important because we can avail MSME loans only if we have a trade licence, but the problem is that we can’t renew our licence online. This gives them the power to collect cash in hand, leading to charging us extra in terms of bribes. If you don’t give bribes, they will harass you.”

Bharat Sairam, owner of Sri

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Vasani Chats in Jayanagar, said:

“We have to renew our trade licence every year, but I feel it’s useless. They should be responsible to clean garbage and make our vicinity better but I never saw them doing this. They collect Rs 2,500 every year to renew my trade licence, but I don’t see any advantage in it.

“If we don’t renew our licence, they will fine us as much as Rs 5,000. Moreover, if we don’t pay them extra, they will refuse to renew our licence.”

The BBMP website has listed trade fees for shops falling under different categories. For instance, the owner of an air-conditioned hotel attached to a bar with more than a 2,000 sqft area has to pay Rs 50,000 to get his trade licence renewed. l Licence renewal rules leave traders divided, P3

March opposing Sankey Tank flyover project: Activists to move court against cops’ notices

By Vindhya Pabolu

Activists who protested against the Sankey Tank flyover project have expressed their displeasure at receiving a notice from the Sadashivanagar police for holding a solidarity march. They are planning to move court to get the notice quashed.

Vijay Nishanth from Project Vruksha informed The Observer that eight notices were issued to those who work for Jatka Foundation and others who participated in the march against flyover project. On Tuesday, a group of nine activists met an advocate and discussed with him their plan to move the court to quash the FIR.

Nishanth, who participated in the march, informed The Observer: “What we’ve done is not wrong. Firstly, this was not a protest; it was a solidarity march. We don’t even advocate and discussed with him their plan to move the court to quash the FIR.

Nishanth, who participated in the march, said: “What we’ve done is not wrong. Firstly, this was not a protest; it was a solidarity march. We don’t even know why we received the notice all of a sudden even when government cancelled the project.”

They continued the march after the police denied permission to hold a protest. The next day, Congress held a protest demanding cancellation of the project at the same place.

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China renames 11 places in Arunachal, India rejects India has rejected China’s renaming of 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh and asserted the state has been and will always be an integral part of India. China had released a set of new names for 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh as part of its efforts to re-emphasize its claim over the state. This is the third time that China has done so for places in Arunachal Pradesh, which it calls “Zangnan”, the southern part of Tibet”. NDTV Covid positivity rate stands at 6.12% cent India has 3,038 new Covid-19 cases in 24 hours with active cases climbing to 21,179 across the country, according to the health ministry. The daily positivity rate has reached 6.12 per cent. The trajectory of cases has increased gradually across the country. Scientists say XBB.1.16 is the variant responsible for the present surge in cases. Mint

Pak SC declares delay in Punjab polls null & void

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday declared the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) decision on delaying polls in Punjab null and void, The Express Tribune reported, adding that a three-member Bench hearing a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) petition challenging the delay in Punjab polls announced the decision. PTI

Banarasi Paan, Banarasi Langda get GI tag

The famous Banarasi Paan and Banarasi Langda mango are the two latest products from the city to have got the GI tag. This apart, the ‘Adamchini’ rice of neighbouring Chandauli district has also joined the GI club recently. As many as 33 products were granted GI certification on a single day on March 31 by the Geographical Indication Registry in Chennai. Among them, 10 products belong to Uttar Pradesh. TOI