New Delhi, Delhi traders on Friday urged the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to rectify several glitches in its newly launched integrated trade licence portal, alleging that it is charging General Trade Licence (GTL) fees on residential portions of mixed-use properties instead of limiting the levy to commercial areas.
The issues were raised during a meeting convened by MCD officials with representatives of market associations to seek feedback on the integrated portal for trade licences and property tax.
In a representation submitted to the civic body, the traders listed several concerns and sought technical changes and policy clarifications to make the portal more user-friendly.
The traders said the portal is calculating GTL charges for the entire built-up area linked to a property via its Unique Property Identification Code (UPIC), even when only part of the premises is used for business.
"The General Trade Licence is meant only for commercial activity. If a trader runs a business from one room while the rest of the property is residential, charging licence fees on the entire built-up area is unfair," Kamala Nagar market association president Nitin Gupta said.
The traders demanded that licence fees should be calculated only on the portion being used for commercial activity.
The associations also sought clarity on the applicability of the General Trade Licence and the Health Trade Licence (HTL), saying several businesses such as salons, beauty parlours, grocery stores, confectionery shops, dry-cleaning units and tailoring establishments appear under both categories, creating confusion.
Traders urged the MCD to issue clear guidelines specifying which businesses require a GTL and which need an HTL to ensure uniform implementation across all zones.
The representation also called for an option in the portal for applicants to indicate if a trade licence does not apply to their establishment, while allowing those with valid licences to enter existing licence details during the application process.
The traders further requested a provision to link a business proprietor with the property owner in cases where the premises are owned by family members, without treating such arrangements as tenancy.
They also sought features allowing applicants to edit entries before final submission, an online grievance redressal system with ticket tracking, contact details of the concerned officers handling portal-related issues, and detailed user guidelines and FAQs.
Another issue flagged was that when applicants select the "Others" category for trades not listed on the portal, the description entered by them does not appear on the issued licence. The associations requested that the exact trade description be reflected on the licence for better clarity.
"We welcome digitisation, but the system should make compliance easier rather than create new hurdles. We hope the corporation will address these issues while the portal is still new," Gupta said.
MCD officials assured the representatives that the suggestions and concerns raised during the meeting would be examined for possible technical modifications and policy clarifications in the coming days, the traders said.
