Sharp 17.5% rise in octroi collection

Spelling good news for civic coffers, the octroi collection in the first four months of the current financial year has seen a 17.5 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.

The ongoing modernisation of the octroi nakas and the increased vigilance by the flying squads to check evasion of payment are the primary reasons for this increase, officials from the assessment and collection department of the Bombay Municipal Council (BMC) said.

Octroi is the biggest source of revenue for the BMC with the total collection target for this year crossing Rs 7,200 crore of the total budget outlay of Rs 26,000 crore. Increased collection means more money available that can be spent on infrastructure projects in the city. The total collection from April 1 to August 10 is Rs 2,239 crore, which is around 17.5 per cent higher than Rs 1,906 crore collected during the same period last year. The amount collected during this period in 2010 was Rs 1,653 crore, a 15 per cent jump from the 2011 collection.

Octroi nakas are a major source of income for the civic exchequer and the highest percentage rise is seen from the collection here. Officials claimed that the CCTV cameras installed at all entry points where octroi is collected has helped keep an eye on the vehicles evading octroi as well as officials involved in this. Vigilance squads making surprise rounds at octroi points have also kept the civic staff on their toes.

Other sources of octroi are at the docks where oil and gas companies form a major chunk of payers. It is also collected at the airport and railway terminuses.

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