Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, late Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, ex-Maharashtra CM AR Antulay’s wife Nargis and Samajwadi Party leader Abu Asim Azmi are among two lakh “defaulters”, who have not so far settled the water bills raised by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
The names of Sachin, late Thackeray and other prominent personalities figured in a list of water bill “defaulters” that the BMC released on Tuesday.
Informed civic sources pegged the total water bill arrears due from 2 lakh-odd listed “defaulters” — who include domestic, industrial and commercial water users — at an approximate Rs 1,000 crore as of January 16, 2014.
The names Sachin Tendulkar and his wife Anjali figure in the list of defaulters twice — for amounts of Rs 16.640 and Rs 16,282 at their 19, Perry Cross Road address in Bandra.
Nargis Antulay, wife of former Maharashtra CM, is another “defaulter” who has been named for not clearing water dues amounting to Rs 48,777.
SP leader Abu Asim Azmi’s has been listed as “defaulter” for unpaid dues from a hotel premises belonging to him. This is the second time when Sachin Tendulkar has run into trouble with the BMC. In October 2011, Sachin had paid Rs 4.35 lakh as fine to the BMC for moving into his new mansion at Bandra in north-west Mumbai, without obtaining the mandatory Occupation Certificate (OC).
Amid media glare, Sachin had, on September 28, 2011, performed a vastu puja in the presence of his mother and family members at a new Mansion on Perry Cross Road in Bandra, marking a formal entry to the five-storey structure. At that time, he had not obtained OC from the BMC.
Sachin, who had brought this property for Rs 39 crore from a real estate developer in late 2007 and subsequently carried out major reconstruction work, had shifted to his dream mansion along with his family members, from the 12th floor of the la Mer building in the neigbouring Bandra reclamation area. Sachin’s iconic status notwithstanding, the BMC authorities had objected to his moving into his new Bandra mansion on the ground that he had not obtained the mandatory OC, before shifting there.
Initially, the civic administration was reluctant to impose fine on Sachin for his failure to obtain OC before moving into his new mansion. later on, the BMC had enforced a fine of Rs 4.37 lakh on him, a fine that the master blaster paid up duly.