This issue is likely to be debated during the second round of discussion the civic officer is scheduled to hold with the city jewellers' representatives at his office on June 12.

Kapoor told media persons that the two senior octroi officers deputed by him to visit Kolhapur to study the practice of levying octroi on the weight of gold and silver adopted by that municipal administration, had found that it was a total failure.

The Kolhapur Municipal Corporation (KMC) had in fact issued an advertisement in local newspapers on April 29, 1998, making public its intentions to revert to the old practice of levying octroi on the price of gold and silver. This was being done apparently due to poor octroi collection, a meagre Rs 1.27 lakh during 1996-97, in Kolhapur, according to Kapoor.

The officer further pointed out to media persons that the municipal commissioners present at a meeting of all municipal corporations in the State held at Mumbai in September 1997, had unanimously demanded that octroi be charged on the price and not weight of the goods.

Referring to the traders tirade against him, charging him with being autocratic, Kapoor asserted that it was his duty to act strictly against those evading octroi. ``Do they expect me to beg for octroi. I am acting well within my powers when punishing octroi evaders,'' he said.