NCP holds 'begging' protest to clear water dues of ministers

The youth wing of the NCP Tuesday staged a novel protest here by begging money to "foot the pending water bills" of official residences of chief minister and other ministers in Maharashtra.

Members of the NCP youth wing's Mumbai unit staged the "bheek maango" (begging) protest outside the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus here, after media reports claimed that bungalows of the chief minister and some other ministers were in the civic body's list of water bill defaulters.

According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), dues worth Rs 7.44 lakh were pending against the connection provided at the chief minister's bungalow Varsha.

NCP youth wing's working president Suraj Chavan said, "The BMC cuts water supply when common citizens fail to pay bills for a month or two. But the bill of the chief minister's bungalow has been pending for several months. To help clear the bill, our youth wing staged the bheek mango protest."