Traders and shopkeepers have two days before the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) starts cancelling the licences of establishments that have not given prominence to Kannada in their signboards. However, as of Wednesday, of the 47,406 trade licence holders registered with the BBMP, only 8,195 have complied with the rules, which state 60% of the signage should be in Kannada. The new rule is also applicable to those applying for new licences or renewals.
“From December 1, we will go ahead and cancel the trade licences,” said BBMP Commissioner Anil Kumar. To date, civic officials have inspected 22,474 establishments, trades and shops across the city and issued more than 15,000 notices to those who were yet to comply.
Mr. Anil Kumar admitted that there was a discrepancy between the number of establishments registered with BBMP and the actual number on the ground. The Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) for instance, has issued over six lakh commercial connections in the Bengaluru metropolitan area (most of which falls under the BBMP limits). “We have the details of the commercial connections from Bescom,” he said, and admitted that many traders in the city were operating without valid licences.
He also pointed out that commercial establishments have come up in residential zones. “As per zoning regulations, we cannot issue trade licences to such establishments. This has meant that there is no regulation of trades that have come up in residential zones,” he said.
Mr. Anil Kumar said the BBMP has sought an amendment in zoning regulations to include and allow some essential trades in residential zones, such as neighbourhood provision stores and pharmacies. “If amended, this will allow us to regulate trades in residential areas, apart from bringing in more revenue to the BBMP,” he said.
