Tuesday, May 21, 2024 | Last Update : 01:07 PM IST
Maharashtra CM, ministers in BMC’s water defaulters’ list
The civic body has released its latest list of over two lakh defaulters, who have not paid their water bills.
Mumbai: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, housing minister Prakash Mehta, health minister Deepak Sawant are some of the high-profile ministers who entered the list of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) water-bill defaulters.
The civic body has released its latest list of over two lakh defaulters, who have not paid their water bills. The list has been uploaded on the civic body’s website (www.mcgm.gov.in) by the hydraulic department. While CM’s official residence Varsha owes the BMC a water bill of Rs 1.5 lakh, Mr Mungantiwar’s Devgiri bungalow has not paid dues of about Rs 90,000. Mr Mehta’s Parnakuti and Mr Sawant’s Chitrakoot bungalows have arrears of Rs 50,000 and Rs 26,000 respectively pending with the BMC.
According to the civic officials, these bungalows belong to the Public Works Department (PWD) of the State Government and they have asked the state officials to reimburse the money. The list also contains private offices, government organisations, railway stations, police stations and housing societies along with slums. The list has been prepared based on information received from 24 ward offices. It has the names of all defaulters — commercial, industrial as well as domestic, said civic officials.
“The BMC issues water bills in two cycles, monthly and quarterly. Consumers, who have bills above Rs 15,000 per month on average, are sent bills after 30 days. Mostly, commercial and industrials consumers fall in this category. Others are sent every three months. The defaulters’ name is published in the list after they fail to pay the bill within 45 days. If the payment is delayed, penalty is charged which is increases according to the delayed time,” said a senior civic official.
Despite repeated attempts, Ashish Kumar Singh, principal secretary, PWD, remained unavailable for comments. Following an order from the state information commissioner (SIC), the BMC had started updating the list of water bill defaulters three years ago.
