Businesses operating in the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) area have been given a week-long opportunity to renew their trade licences through a special service programme aimed at reducing delays and making the process easier for entrepreneurs.
The Trade Licence Service Week 2026, organised jointly by the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) and DSCC, began on Sunday, 16 August, at the DCCI auditorium in Dhaka.
Trade licence holders, including DCCI members, can renew their licences for the 2026–27 financial year at the DCCI premises from 16 to 20 August, between 10am and 4pm, on payment of the prescribed renewal fees.
The initiative was launched at a meeting on improving the local business environment, law and order, traffic congestion and trade licence renewal services.
Md Abdus Salam, administrator of DSCC and chief guest at the event, said the corporation was working towards making its services more accountable and efficient.
He said DSCC currently has around 250,000 trade licences, although the number of businesses operating within its jurisdiction is considerably higher. He urged businesses to obtain and renew their licences to ensure they could operate legally.
Mr Salam said the corporation was placing greater emphasis on digital management to provide harassment-free trade licence services and was planning to introduce a one-stop service.
He also said DSCC held public hearings every Saturday, allowing residents and businesses to raise concerns and offer suggestions.
On the cost of trade licences, Salam said a reduction in charges related to the National Board of Revenue (NBR) included in the prescribed fees could enable the corporation to reduce the overall cost for businesses.
DCCI president Taskeen Ahmed said trade licences were among the most important basic documents required to run a business, but entrepreneurs frequently encountered difficulties because of uncertainty over required documents, a lack of information and delays during the renewal process.
He called for greater automation of trade licence services, saying a digital system could reduce delays and harassment. He also advocated introducing multi-year trade licence renewal facilities.
DSCC chief executive Md Khoybar Rahman said approximately 246,180 trade licences had been issued across 294 categories of businesses under the corporation’s jurisdiction.
He said trade licence fees and holding taxes were major sources of DSCC revenue and that the corporation had set a revenue collection target of Tk150 crore for the 2026–27 financial year.
Mr Rahman urged businesses and residents to co-operate with the corporation in meeting the target.
The meeting also addressed concerns over security and traffic in the capital.
Md Masud Karim, additional police commissioner (administration) at Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said a stable law and order situation was essential for business and investment to grow.
He urged businesspeople to report allegations of extortion involving police personnel during the unloading of goods from lorries and covered vans in different parts of Old Dhaka.
Mr Karim said artificial-intelligence-powered cameras installed on several roads had already produced positive results in reducing traffic congestion, with plans to expand the programme.
He added that work was under way on a policy to regulate the movement of battery-powered auto-rickshaws. Registration and number plates would help bring the vehicles under greater control once the policy was finalised.
Business leaders attending the meeting called for lower trade licence renewal fees, fully automated renewal services and stronger action to tackle traffic congestion and waterlogging.
They also called for auto-rickshaws to be formally registered, footpaths to be cleared of hawkers and action to be taken against alleged extortion by political groups and law enforcement personnel.
Following the inaugural session, representatives of 10 DCCI member businesses received renewed trade licence copies from the DSCC administrator.
DCCI senior vice-president Razeev H Chowdhury and vice-president Md Salem Sulaiman, along with several former office-bearers and business leaders, also attended the meeting.