The coffers of urban local bodies in Maharashtra swelled by whopping Rs 100 crore as citizens rushed to pay their pending bills and dues in scrapped bank notes of Rs 500 and 1000 as permitted by state government in a bid to ease the woes of common people.
The state government yesterday allowed citizens to use the demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes towards payment of their electricity bill, water bill, property tax or any kind of dues after the Central government accepted state's request in this regard.
The deadline for payment of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes closes midnight tonight.
"The cumulative recovery crosses Rs 100 crore mark," said an official in the Chief Minister's Office.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis yesterday said that government offices will accept now defunct notes till midnight of November 11.
According to a senior official, the move by state government evoked an unprecedented response from the common people.
"Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's request to seek permission from Prime Minister's office and positive response to his request not only paved the way for crores of people to utilise their scrapped high denomination notes, but also led to swelling up the state's exchequer," he said.
He said while Mumbai received highest revenue through the discontinued tender, the second highest payment was received by Pune urban bodies. However, he didn't quote the exact figure of Mumbai as the deadline ends at midnight only.
"Even since yesterday, Kalyan Dombiwali Municipal Corporation received Rs 4 crore, Nashik Rs 2 crore, Thane Rs 2 crore, Meera Bhayandar Municipal Corporation Rs 51 lakh, Ulhasnagar Rs 3.11 crore, Nagpur 1.10 crore, apart from Rs 5.41 crore received from different municipal bodies by the Directorate of Municipal Administration, Mmaharashtra," he added.
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 ever since Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes have been demonetised, people didn't wait for it (last date) and at many places they cleared the bills pending from several months and years," the official said quoting authorities from Revenue Department.
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Meanwhile, city-based activist and former Central Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi has lauded a Chief Minister's move wherein he had requested Centre to allow people to use the banned bank notes for payment of bills.
"This effort (of seeking the nod of the Prime Minister's office to accept demonetised notes) reflects that this government is extremely responsive towards the issues of common man and it works to remove the difficulties," he said, adding the people of the country have not shown any "significant unrest" post the demonetisation of high value denominations.
