Roadside vendor is income tax payer too

A local food vendor who has been dishing out aloo poha to gourmets for more than three decades has made it to the list of income tax payers in Maharashtra.

Roopam Sakhare runs a stall on the Kingsway Road at Kasturchand Park in Nagpur, a popular hangout, with scores of regulars thronging the kiosk to gorge on a plate of the steamy snack, served with hana dal tari, a spicy gravy consisting of chillies and gram.

The 52-year-old, who started as a helper, has been in the business for the last 35 years. Today, assisted by his wife and a team of seven workers, Sakhare sells about 50 kgs of poha (made out of flattened rice), serving 1,000- 1,200 people daily, which fetches him over Rs 100,000 a month.

Operating from a makeshift tent, this unqualified and soft-spoken vendor earns an estimated Rs 12-14 lakh (Rs 1.2-1.4 million) annually, making him perhaps the only roadside stall owner in this region to be covered under the tax bracket.

"I am paying my taxes regularly and maintaining accounts since 1991," Sakhare said, without disclosing the exact amount.

His clientele includes businessman and office-goers. Interestingly, Sakhare, who owns a posh flat, does not hold a licence from the civic authorities to run his stall.