SHILLONG: Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) Executive Member in-charge of Trade, Paul Lyngdoh said the plan of the department to increase the license fee from 100 to 150 per cent is to plug revenue leakage.
He told reporters on Wednesday that enhancing the fee structure will plug revenue leakage. He informed that the KHADC has neither issued any new licenses nor cleared any renewal as the department is waiting for the proposal of fee structure to be approved by the Executive Committee (EC) of the KHADC.
According to him, the Trading by non-tribals Act and the Rules formulated are clear and the task of the EC is to ensure that the act is enforced.
On the other hand, Lyngdoh rued that the District Council has a total manpower of 78 in the Enforcement Wing of the KHADC even as the population of non-tribal traders are increasing while the enforcement is weak.
With regards to enforcement, Lyngdoh said the EC will follow up on the Bill passed by the Council, Khasi Hills Autonomous District Police Bill which is still pending with the District Council Affairs (DCA) department.
He informed that the department will have a meeting of the Dorbar Shnong located in Shillong and its outskirts to create an awareness on issuing trading licenses in which manual of instructions will also be issued to the Dorbar Shnong.
He said that a letter of complaint was received from Dorbar Shnong of Qualapatty who have detected 4 shops of non-tribal traders opening in the locality without obtaining NoC from the Shnong.
“We are very vigilant andwell engaged even though there are many challenges faced while revamping the department,” he said.
For Lyngdoh, the necessity to apply for fresh trading licenses as well as to renew the licenses should not by-pass the District Council which prompted the Council to opt for digitization of trading licenses.
Earlier, the Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) asserted that the onus is on the Enforcement Wing of the KHADC to conduct regular inspections of trading and labour licenses.
Speaking to reporters after meeting Lyngdoh, general secretary of HYC, Roy Kupar Synrem said the enforcement wing of the KHADC should implement the laws and less manpower should not be an excuse.
The organisation met Lyngdoh to lodge a complaint against the shopkeepers who do not possess trading licenses and there are some who have not updated their trading licenses.
Asserting that more space should be reserved for indigenous people in traditional markets, Lyngdoh assured the organization that 85 per cent will be reserved for the indigenous people while 15 per cent for non-tribal traders.
As for the complaints of HYC, Lyngdoh told reporters that the information will be corroborated and if the traders are found indulging in illegal business, their shops will be shut down and penalty will be imposed as per the Trade by Non-Tribal Regulation Act.
