Good news for Delhi residents troubled by high water bills.
The Delhi government, led by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, is preparing to launch a special scheme around Diwali.
Under this one-time amnesty scheme, lakhs of households may get a waiver on late payment penalties for their water bills.
A senior official confirmed that the plan is almost finalized.
Why is the Scheme Being Introduced?
The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has 27 lakh registered consumers, out of which 16 lakh people received incorrect bills in the past few years.
Many of them stopped paying, leading to reduced revenue for the DJB.
Earlier, the Aam Aadmi Party government had promised such a scheme but did not implement it.
In July, Water Minister Pravesh Verma from the BJP government also stated that penalties on incorrect bills would be waived.
Who Will Benefit?
The scheme will be applicable only for domestic consumers.
Shops, factories, and other commercial users will not be covered.
A new software system is being updated to roll out the scheme.
Once active, consumers will not need to visit DJB offices repeatedly.
How the One-Time Waiver Will Work
If consumers fail to pay even after this scheme, they will not get another chance.
Past bills had become very high due to accumulated arrears and penalties.
With penalties waived, bills will be automatically adjusted and reduced.
Consumers can settle dues easily without visiting DJB offices.
Outstanding Dues in Delhi
According to DJB records:
Commercial consumers owe ₹66,000 crore.
Domestic consumers owe ₹15,000 crore.
Delhi government departments owe ₹33,295 crore.
Central government agencies owe ₹29,723.37 crore.
Municipal Corporation of Delhi owes ₹26,147 crore.
Among central agencies, Indian Railways has the highest dues of ₹21,530 crore, followed by Delhi Police with ₹6,097 crore.
The scheme is expected to help the Delhi Jal Board generate around ₹2,500 crore in revenue.
