New Delhi, Aug 11 (PTI) The Standing Committee of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) on Wednesday revised down the rates for getting general trade and factory licences, as a relief for traders in view of the hardships faced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said.

The hikes in the rates, were approved last year in July by the panel, ranging in a multiple of two to four, across various categories.

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"As the traders and others have faced a lot of hardship due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic in the last two years, the NDMC panel today decided to revise the rates for getting or renewing of the two licences back to the old ones to give them relief," a senior official said.

It was also decided that those who have already paid at a newer rate as effected last year, will have the extra amount adjusted prospectively, he said.

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Traders and trading bodies have been appealing to the government agencies to help them in the wake of the huge financial losses suffered during the pandemic.

Late July, the NDMC panel had approved the proposal to adopt the rates for getting general trade and factory licences, as used by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation.

In the slab used by the SDMC, the rates for getting these licences are higher.

"General trade license rates are dependent on the circle rates of the colony, but it is not so in the case of factory trade licence rate," an official said.

"Also, after getting Centre's nod, the NDMC today also approved a proposal to allow service sector activities, like IT, telecom services, in new industrial areas, subject to payment of infrastructure upgrade charges," the official said.

Delhi had reeled under a brutal second wave of the pandemic that swept the country, claiming a massive number of lives daily, with the oxygen supply shortage issue at various hospitals then, adding to the woes.

Since April 19, both daily cases and single-day deaths count had been spiralling up, with over 28,000 cases and 277 deaths recorded on April 20; rising to 306 fatalities on April 22.

On May 3, the city registered a record 448 deaths, as per the official data. The number of cumulative cases on Thursday stood at 14,36,889. Over 14.1 lakh patients have recovered from the virus.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)