Eye on revenue, Delhi govt mulls making water bills mandatory for property registration

Officials added that the government is taking several measures to crack down on illegal water connections, including a survey of households, smart metering, and introducing a new billing system.

“As per 2011 data, there are 34 lakh households, and this number has almost doubled… But there are only around 29 lakh water connections — far fewer than required for a city like Delhi… These days, the independent floor system has become popular in the city… Under this, people construct up to four floors, and sell it floor-wise but separate households don’t take water connections or submit their bills… Similarly, sellers don’t share the water bills while selling their properties,” the official explained.

A communication in this regard has also been sent to the Revenue Department.

The registrar officers under the revenue departments handle the registration of properties in every district. Presently, stamp duty, sale deed, income certificate, identity proofs of both buyer and seller, electricity bill, and two witnesses are required for registration of property in the city.

The government is also considering a revision of the water tariff, as a large number of consumers do not pay their bills, and the existing billing system has several shortcomings. The last water tariff revision took place in February 2018, and a decision on a possible update is under consideration.

Officials said that the Non-Revenue Water (NRW) — produced and supplied from water treatment plants, but not reaching the customers — stands at around 50–52%, indicating high losses.