Food for thought: Nagpur roadside vendor is income tax payer

A local food vendor who has been dishing out 'aloo poha' to gourmets for more than three decades, is perhaps the only streetside stall owner in Central India, who has made it to the list of income tax payers enroute this traditional breakfast delicacy of Maharashtra.

Roopam Sakhare runs a stall on the Kingsway Road at Kasturchand Park, a popular hangout, with scores of regulars
thronging the kiosk to gorge on a plate of this steamy snack,
served with 'chana dal tari', a spicy gravy, made using
chillies and gram.

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

Operating from a makeshift tent, this unqualified and soft-spoken vendor earn an estimated Rs 12-14 lakh 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.