It’s not possible for workers at Octroi nakas to open and see each and every consignment as it is time consuming and creates congestion at check-posts. And sometimes, traders carrying valuable goods manage to evade Octroi by covering them up, according to civic officials.

“Now we will be able to see even the colour of apples (inside a consignment) and how green the vegetables are through these scanners. Traders won’t be able to cheat BMC now,” Joint Municipal Commissioner (Improvement) V Radha said. According to Radha, the overhaul would cost around Rs 100 crore and will be implemented in around six months from now. “We don’t want to make hasty decisions and will select the technology that will remain in use in the coming years,” she said.

The BMC, which is taking help of IIT Bombay to select the new technology, has already invited an Expression of Interest for vehicle scanners, weighing bridges, registration number reader, IP surveillance, boom barriers, variable messaging system to reduce the transaction time at nakas and minimise evasion. The new technology will be implemented at all five Octroi nakas in the city—Western Express Highway Naka (Dahisar), Eastern Express Highway Naka (Mulund E), Lal Bahadhur Shastri Marg Naka (Mulund W), Mulund-Airoli Link Road Naka (Airoli) and Mumbai-Panvel Highway Naka (Mankhurd).

According to Radha, the Octroi Department either conducts surprise raids or acts on tip-offs to catch vehicles evading Octroi. At other times, Octroi workers act on instinct, but with a continuous flow of vehicles, it becomes difficult to check each and every vehicle as it would take hours to scrutinise goods, she said.

Since the start of the financial year, the Octroi Department has conducted three surprise raids, including at the airport, and has impounded over 200 vehicles for evading the levy, Radha said. Besides, the civic officials also raided various godowns where goods were brought into the city by evading Octroi or paying less than the actual amount, she said. The Octroi Department is hopeful that scanners, in-motion weighing bridges and CCTVs would give traders little chance to evade the levy.

Radha said the technological overhaul would not only help the BMC in detecting goods inside a consignment, but also weigh, scan and monitor them simultaneously, thus reducing the time taken to clear a vehicle at Octroi nakas.

Octroi is the chief source of revenue for the BMC—last fiscal the civic body earned Rs 3,535 crore through the levy and the estimate collection for the 2007-08 financial year stands at Rs 4,000 crore. Each of the five major Octroi nakas has a daily collection of over Rs 1 crore. The Octroi Department feels the collection could be notched up further with improved surveillance at nakas.

The equipment

* In-motion weighing bridges will help in speedy clearance

* Scanners will scan the entire vehicle from multiple sides to ascertain the type and quantum of goods being transported. They will also have an automated system to recognise vehicle registration numbers