Pegging the revenue to be collected from defaulters in the State at `62,907.91 crore, Maharashtra Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said on Friday that he would come out with a white paper on the revenue defaulters and steps taken to recover the dues, during the Winter Session of the State legislature.
Replying to queries in the State Assembly on the status of recovery of tax and non-tax revenue outstanding amounts,, Mungantiwar said, “We have to collect `62,907.91 crore from the defaulters. There are 82,799 matters, which are sub—judice. The big defaulters have hired leading counsel for their cases”.
The Minister said that the State Government was planning to appoint a top lawyer to present its stand effectively in arrear recovery cases pending in various courts.
“This is people’s money. We are making all the efforts to recover the outstanding dues from the defaulters,” the Minister said.
Mungantiwar assured the lower House that that the State Government would come out with a white paper on the pending dues from defaulters and steps taken by the Government to recover the money.
Earlier, leader of the Opposition in Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe—Patil said the burden on state was increasing on the state exchequer owing to acute drought, growing debts and accumulated interest.