Maharashtra: Sum of Rs.200 cr towards payment of bills collected in scrapped notes

Mumbai: Urban local bodies in Maharashtra have collected more than Rs 200 crore from citizens towards payment of various bills and government dues in high value notes of Rs 500 and 1,000 which were scrapped on Tuesday. An official in the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) today said the total amount collected so far stood at Rs 217.45 crore in 28 urban local bodies. The sum was collected towards bills related to electricity, water, property and other government dues. Among these urban local bodies, Pune collected Rs 3620 lakh, Mumbai Rs 1470 lakh, Navi Mumbai Rs 1369 lakh, Thane Rs 900 lakh, Nagpur Rs 715 lakh and Aurangabad Rs 360 lakh, among others. The Maharashtra government yesterday allowed citizens to use the demonetised notes for payment of their electricity and water bills, property tax or any kind of dues. The government has also extended the deadline for payment of dues in the old notes till November 14 midnight from midnight tonight. According to a senior official, the government move evoked an unprecedented response from the common people, who rushed to pay their bills and dues with the junked Rs 500/1,000 notes. Maharashtra has 27 municipal corporations whereas nearly 300 other local civic bodies, acting as semi-government agencies, are mandated to provide essential services to residents by levying bills. "Normally, people wait for the last date to pay their bill, but after Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes were demonetised, people didn't wait for it (last date) and at many places they cleared the bills pending for several months and years," the official said quoting authorities from Revenue Department.