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DCCI-DSCC inaugurated week-long “trade license renewal service” for businesses in DSCC area
Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI) in collaboration with Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) inaugurated the week-long “Trade License Service Week 2026” at a View Exchange Meeting titled “Improvement of Local business, law & order situation, traffic congestion and Trade License renewal service” with a view to providing better services to DCCI members and businesses operating under DSCC area on August 16, 2026 at DCCI auditorium. Md. Abdus Salam, Honourable Administrator, Dhaka South City Corporation attended the event as the Chief Guest while Md. Khoybar Rahman, CEO, Dhaka South City Corporation and Md. Masud Karim, Additional Police Commissioner (Admin), Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) were also present as Special Guests.
Trade license holders within the DSCC area, including DCCI members, will be able to renew their trade licenses for the 2026–27 fiscal year by paying the prescribed renewal fees from 16 to 20 August 2026, between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm at DCCI.
In his welcome remarks, DCCI President Taskeen Ahmed said that a trade license is one of the most important basic documents required for operating a business. However, entrepreneurs often face various difficulties in obtaining and renewing trade licenses due to lack of information, uncertainty regarding required documents, and delays at different stages of the process. He emphasized that automation of the process would significantly reduce delays and harassment in obtaining trade licenses and other business-related services. He added that introducing multi-year trade license renewal facilities would also help reduce harassment faced by businesses.
Md. Abdus Salam, Administrator, DSCC, informed that to ensure accountability and enhance efficiency in the Corporation’s activities, his office holds public hearings every Saturday, inviting residents and businesses to participate and provide valuable inputs. He expressed hope that if the NBR-related charges included in the prescribed trade license fees could be reduced, DSCC would be able to further reduce the trade license fees. The Administrator acknowledged that businesses are the key driving force of our economy, therefore creating a business-friendly environment would increase the City Corporation’s revenue and help ensure better public services. He mentioned that DSCC currently has around 250,000 trade licenses, although the number of businesses operating within its jurisdiction is significantly higher. In this regard, he urged all businesses to obtain and renew trade licenses to conduct their business legally. He further stated that DSCC is emphasizing on digital management to ensure harassment-free trade license services and plans to introduce a one-stop service soon. Regarding traffic congestion, he said initiatives are underway to bring battery-operated auto-rickshaws and hawkers under a registration system. He also noted that the City Corporation has undertaken several initiatives to restore the heritage of Old Dhaka and sought cooperation from the business community in implementing one-way traffic systems to reduce congestion in the area.
Md. Khoybar Rahman, CEO, Dhaka South City Corporation, stated that a major share of the Corporation’s revenue comes from holding taxes paid by residents and trade license fees paid by businesses. Approximately 2,46,180 trade licenses have already been issued under 294 categories of businesses within the jurisdiction of DSCC. He added that the Corporation has set a revenue collection target of Tk. 150 crore for FY 2026-27 and urged businesses and residents to extend their cooperation to achieve this target.
Md. Masud Karim, Additional Police Commissioner (Administration), Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), said that business and investment cannot gain momentum without a supportive law and order situation. To improve the overall law and order situation, DMP is giving the matter the utmost priority, he added. He urged businesspeople to provide information to the law enforcement agencies if there are instances of extortion allegedly involving police personnel during the unloading of goods from trucks or covered vans at different locations in Old Dhaka. He also said that the installation of AI-powered cameras on several roads has produced positive results in reducing traffic congestion and initiatives have been taken to expand the program, the benefits of which would soon be experienced by city residents. He further informed that work is underway to formulate a policy to bring discipline to the movement of auto-rickshaws. Once finalized, registration and issuance of number plates would help regulate their operations, he informed.
During the open floor discussion session, DCCI Director Mohammad Zamsher Ali, former Senior Vice President Alhaj Abdus Salam, former Vice Presidents Hossain A. Sikder and Alhaj Md. Alauddin Malik, former Directors A.K.D. Khair Mohammad Khan, Alhaj Din Mohammad, President of Moulavibazar Babosayee Samity Haji Mohammad Ali Bhutto, among others, also spoke on the occasion. The discussants emphasized the need for effective initiatives by the Corporation to create a conducive business environment, reduce trade license renewal fees, ensure hassle-free renewal services through automation, address traffic congestion and waterlogging through effective measures, bring auto-rickshaws under a registration system with the issuance of number plates, free footpaths from hawkers, and take strict measures to prevent extortion by political groups and law enforcement personnel. Following the inaugural ceremony, representatives of 10 DCCI member enterprises received their renewed trade license copies from the DSCC Administrator.
DCCI Senior Vice President Razeev H Chowdhury, Vice President Md. Salem Sulaiman and members of the Board of Directors were also present during the meeting.
Published on: 2026-08-16