Delhi govt set to waive late payment surcharge in water bill, says minister

Officials said the proposal will now be put up before the Delhi Jal Board (DJB). “The DJB is currently working on improving its billing system software, which will take about two to three months. Once done, the scheme will be implemented,” said an official.

Meanwhile, in a meeting of the DJB board on Wednesday, several key projects to improve sewerage and water infrastructure were approved in the city.

The DJB approved a collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to revive the Wazirabad water supply improvement project. “Initially, ADB funding was approved in 2013, but work on various packages of the Wazirabad project could not be awarded until July 2020. As a result, ADB withdrew its funding in 2020. After the intervention of the Water Minister, the project has been re-initiated for an ADB funding grant,” said an official, adding the project will cost around Rs 3,715 crore after escalation.

This project will benefit over 30.16 lakh people of North and North West Delhi – about 13% of Delhi’s total population – covering an area of 123 sq km, including Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar, Model Town, Burari, Lawrence Road, Punjabi Bagh, Shakur Basti, Jahangirpuri, Shastri Nagar, Avantika, Pitampura and nearby areas.

The DJB also approved water connections for the in-situ rehabilitation project for slum dwellers at Katputli Colony near Shadipur depot and housing projects for lower-income groups carried out by the Delhi Development Authority. Besides, in a bid to improve sewer connectivity, the DJB has approved two projects in colonies of East Delhi’s Sonia Vihar and Shriram Colony.
Officials said that about 2.34 lakh people will benefit from this. It is also set to reduce pollution in the Yamuna river. “A lot of sewage directly enters from these colonies into the river. We will trap and then treat the sewage flowing by laying new lines. This will help in improving the health of Yamuna,” Singh said.