The Chief Minister's Office (CMO) Maharashtra on Monday came out in defence of the Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray after a Right to Information (RTI) query by an activist revealed that several state ministers had unpaid water bill dues, running into lakhs of rupees.

The response came after RTI activist Shakeel Ahmad Sheikh revealed information collected from Mumbai's municipal corporation that over Rs 24 lakhs in bills is outstanding on the government houses of other ministers, including the Chief Minister.