Bal Thackeray, Sachin among water bill defaulters in Mumbai

Shiv Sena patriarch Bal Thackeray, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and SP leader Abu Azmi are among the two lakh water bill defaulters in Mumbai.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which recently made public the list of defaulters on its website, has named several prominent people, including Maharashtra former Chief Minister A R Antulay, as defaulters for non-payment of dues.

The civic body has to recover massive dues of over Rs 1,000 crore from more than two lakh defaulters in the metropolis as on January 16, 2014.

"The list has been prepared based on information received from 24 ward offices and comprises names of all defaulters from commercial, industrial and domestic connections categories," a civic official said.

When contacted, a source close to the Thackeray family told PTI that they would check if any bills were pending for payment.

Azmi said he paid his bills regularly and "there is no bill pending from my side". "Due to the mismanagement by the civic body they might not have sent the bills. I have checked with the manager of my hotel and no bill is pending. If at all any bill is pending, I will pay within a day. I will send a notice to the BMC for including me in the defaulters' list," he said.

The BMC official said they would soon consider action against the defaulters based on the amount they have to pay.