The octroi department is concentrating on checking the core goods brought by local transporters who are used by traders to curb evasion of duty on cloth, jewellery and electronic items.

A statement issued by the Additional Municipal Commissioner Deepak Kapoor stated today that a compounding fee of Rs 70,000 was recovered from the errant traders for evasion of duty charges on the sarees.

In separate cases, the squad earlier seized a compounding fee of nearly Rs 1.5 lakh from the errant traders. The squad seized a box of suitings weighing 100 kg worth Rs one lakh from Shinde Transport while it was being delivered to Men's Avenue. A compounding fee of Rs 25,686 was recovered. A box of gold jewellery worth Rs 2.6 lakh was seized from angadiya Hasmukh Jain, for evading duty and a compounding fee of Rs 45,000 was recovered. The squad also charged a compounding fee of Rs 50,000 from local transporter Bhaskar who was delivering blankets worth Rs 1.5 lakh to various shops in the city.

Meanwhile, municipal commissioner Rajiv Agarwal will present the draft budget for the year 1999-2000 to the standing committee chairman Ramesh Bodke tomorrow. The commissioner is expected to curtail expenses on various development works as the civic body has failed to achieve its target of tax recovery this year.