‘People deserve breathing space’: Water bill fine waiver scheme extended until August 15

“Since the scheme’s rollout, domestic consumers have received rebates worth Rs 1,493 crore, and the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has collected revenue of Rs 430 crore through the principal amount. We observed that there are problems in our billing system also, due to which people who want to pay bills and avail the scheme are unable to do so. Thus, we have decided to extend the deadline till August 31,” said the minister.

He added that the government expects recoveries to rise significantly after the next billing cycle, once consumers get updated bills reflecting the waived surcharges.

Singh said the total pending water bill amount is Rs 11,000 crore, of which the government aims to recover Rs 5,570 crore (principal amount) in pending dues by waiving off the LPSC. There are over 16 lakh domestic customers with pending water dues, he added.

Singh said the deadline was extended following requests from MLAs and public representatives as well as residents’ welfare associations. He added that legacy billing errors from the previous regime; reorganisation of zonal revenue offices causing temporary delays and the need to give people a final chance before strict enforcement of norms also led to the extension of the deadline.

While appealing to people to pay their bills, Singh said the government plans to set up camps and water Lok Adalats where people can resolve their water billing-related issues on the spot.

Singh, meanwhile, blamed the previous AAP government for issuing inflated bills to consumers and the resultant pending dues.

“Officials have pointed out that compared to the earlier LPSC waiver scheme (applicable between October 2022 and March 2023), where only Rs 235 crore in principal was collected, the current scheme has already mobilised nearly double the amount. This clearly shows that when governance is clean and intentions are honest, people come forward. Delhi is witnessing a financial turnaround in the water sector,” he added.

He further said that the previous system created fear through inflated and faulty bills. “We are fixing that broken structure. But reform takes time and people deserve breathing space. That is why we have extended the scheme,” Singh said.

Moreover, Singh said, the government has taken a serious note of the massive pending dues from non-domestic consumers, including government offices and private establishments.

Nearly 87,000 non-domestic connections have outstanding principal dues of over Rs 2,068 crore, reflecting years of weak enforcement and financial mismanagement, he said. “Reforms will not stop with domestic consumers. Large defaulters, whether government departments or private entities, must clear their principal dues. Public money cannot be allowed to remain blocked because of administrative negligence,” Singh added