Mumbai: After Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and other ministers found themselves on the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's defaulter list for failing to pay their water bills on time, now, it is the turn of the Central and Western Railways.
In response to a Right To Information (RTI) query by activist Shakeel Ahmed, the BMC has said that CR and WR have failed to pay their water bills, amounting to a steep Rs 233.90 crore. The CR has 67 water connections, while the WR has 55. The outstanding amount owed by the CR is Rs 103.19 crore, while that for WR is Rs 137.24 crore.
Prior to this, the BMC had placed the CM's and other ministerial bungalows on the defaulter list. However, the public works department (PWD) has settled most of these dues. Activist Ahmed had questioned why citizens should pay their water bills if governmental institutions are not doing so. He also asked if the PWD was going to clear citizens' dues just as it had paid the ministers' dues.
