MUMBAI: Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC) in Thane district collected a whopping over Rs 2 crore in the first two hours of opening of counters today for accepting the now defunct Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes for utilities and dues payment.
Besides, till now, Rs 15.50 crore have been collected at various government offices in Maharashtra's 17 cities covered under the AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) scheme. Also, Rs 4 crore have been collected at the nagar parishads.
These are the payments citizens made to clear their dues at government offices in urban local bodies, an official of the Chief Minister's Office said.
Yesterday, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said the government offices will accept the now defunct notes as payment to clear dues till today midnight for payment of electricity bills, water bills, property tax and any kind of government dues.
The decision was implemented with immediate effect.
The state Urban Development Department also issued a GR to this effect last night.
The Centre had earlier accepted the state government's request to allow Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes for payment of electricity bill, water bill, property tax or any kind of government dues, in a bid to ease troubles of the common man in wake of the demonetisation of high denomination notes.
In order to sooth the frayed nerves of the people, Fadnavis had two days back tweeted urging them not to panic as they can get the currency notes, discontinued by the government, replaced when the banks open.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision is revolutionary. There is no reason to panic. Let's all together fight this war against corruption and black money," the CM had said.
He had also asked people to continue with their routine works and quelled their panic saying that common man need not worry as the money earned through legal means is safe.