Sources told Express Newsline on Monday that a group of class I officers would visit various areas of the city at odd hours to nab possible persons evading octroi.

These visits are besides the routine checks which officials are to conduct at octroi points. The checks are as per an action plan chalked out by the department about a month ago.

Meanwhile, the VMC has also increased the number of jeeps at the department's disposal. The Corporation has now got eight jeeps, which operate for eight hours instead of shift of six hours.

The current year's target was earlier fixed at Rs 105 crore but was reduced by Rs 10 crore. According to sources, till date the Corporation had recovered Rs 73 crore, which was Rs 7 crore more than Rs 66 crore collected in 1997-98 till February 7.

Whether the VMC would be able to meet the target, a top civic official said they hoped to reach the Rs 95-crore mark. ``In Surat, the target has been reduced by Rs 31 crore,'' he claimed.