Kejriwal announces 1-time waiver on water bill arrears

New Delhi: To get consumers to clear dues, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday announced a one-time waiver of arrears on water bills of about 13 lakh people with functional meters.

As a result, households need not pay late payment fees and will get a waiver on the principal amount due based on their house category.

He said people who have got new water connections are eligible for the waiver.

Announced months ahead of the Assembly elections in the national Capital, the waiver is valid for arrears up to March 2019. If dues are paid, the state exchequer will see an inflow of Rs 600 crore. Kejriwal said there were approximately 13.5 lakh consumers in Delhi who have pending water bills.

"Some of these arrears are due to consumers but some are also due to incorrect billing," Kejriwal said. While the waiver will be for those having domestic water meters, those installing the meters by November 30 can get their late payment surcharge waived off as well.

"This is an open invite to the people of Delhi to join the mainstream and install water meters. Only those consumers who have installed meters before November 30 will get the benefit of this scheme."

The Chief Minister said around 10.5 lakh people who come under the E, F, G and H categories of water consumers will get a 100 percent waiver on water arrears. Those who come under categories A and B will get a waiver of 25 percent, category C will get 50 percent while D category will get 75 percent. However, Kejriwal clarified that the 100 percent waiver on late-payment charges will be applicable across all categories.

He stated that at least Rs 2,500 crore is due from domestic water users and Rs 1,500 crore from commercial users.