Octroi collections exceeded estimate by Rs 72 cr

MUMBAI: Sugar prices have touched a record high of Rs 42 per kg, and starting Monday, the BMC has announced a 2% octroi waiver on sugar. The civic standing committee that cleared the waiver will now request the state government to provide further relief, officials said. “We provided a waiver on three essential items last year. Sugar has now been taken off the (octroi) list and more could follow if the state accedes to our request. We will discuss in our next meeting some other items that can have the octroi waived off,’’ committee chairman Ravindra Waikar said.

The decision comes at a time when the corporation has mopped up Rs 72 crore more in octroi collections than was estimated. The collection at the end of the 2009-10 fiscal stood at Rs 4,522 crore; the estimate was Rs 4,450 crore. “If the state agrees, we could think of providing other temporary waivers,’’ municipal commissioner Swadheen Kshatriya said.