NEW DELHI: In a major step to ease the burden on residents facing inflated water bills, the Delhi government plans to waive off 100 per cent of late payment charges for domestic and government users, officials said on Wednesday. The Delhi Jal Board (DJB), responsible for the city’s water supply, has around 29 lakh registered customers. Many have long complained of erroneous or excessive billing.
“We are preparing to waive the entire late payment surcharge (LPSC) for domestic and government categories. No other amnesty scheme will be introduced for the next five years. We expect to generate Rs 6,000 to Rs 7,000 crore through this,” said Water Minister Parvesh Verma.
He chaired a DJB board meeting on Wednesday, during which the contract of the software firm managing the current billing system was extended by three months. The minister said this extension is crucial to implementing the LPSC waiver, as a new billing software is under development.
The one-time water bill settlement scheme was initially launched in June 2023 but later became a contentious issue between bureaucrats and ministers. The Finance Department opposed including long-term defaulters. Officials also flagged the steep compound interest rate of 18 per cent on overdue bills. The government is now considering changes to the billing structure.