Mira Bhayandar: Staring at an acute financial crisis, the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) has started cracking the whip on establishments that are operating without licenses in the twin-city.
Officials from the license department under the supervision of Deputy Municipal Commissioner Kalpita Pimple penalized 47 unlicensed automobile spare part shops and garages outside their establishments and collected fees amounting to Rs 3.70 lakh in the week-long crackdown.
According to information sourced from the license department, there are 200 licensed garages in the twin-city-most operating outside shops selling automobile spare parts in the twin-city. Apart from obtaining licenses under the Maharashtra Shops and Establishments Act, 2017, all commercial establishments are mandated to procure licenses from the MBMC in accordance with the relevant sections of the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act 1949 in order to conduct their businesses.
The annual license fees range from Rs 250 to Rs 8,000 as per the area/size of the establishment. The MBMC which has roped in a private agency for collecting license fees has urged owners of commercial and industrial establishments to obtain licenses at the earliest to avoid penal action. However, officials from the municipal and traffic departments continue to turn a blind eye towards hundreds of garages that are illegally operating on public spaces like roads and pavements obstructing the way of pedestrians causing hindrance to smooth movement of traffic.
