The scheme is expected to waive late payment charges on outstanding bills, according to a senior Delhi government official. The plan has already received in-principle approval and is now awaiting final technical preparations.
In an effort to ease the financial burden on thousands of Delhi households struggling with high and overdue water bills, the Delhi government is planning to introduce a one-time amnesty scheme this Diwali, according to a report by The Times of India.
The scheme is expected to waive late payment charges on outstanding bills, according to a senior government official. The plan has already received in-principle approval and is now awaiting final technical preparations.
The scheme will initially cover domestic consumers only and will not apply to commercial users. Officials said that a software upgrade is in its final stages, which will allow the system to automatically recalculate bills. "Once the new system is operational, the rollout will begin. The move will ease the strain on users grappling with long-standing billing disputes," the official was quoted by TOI as saying.
How the bill waiver will work
According to an estimate reported by TOI, nearly 16 lakh out of 27 lakh Delhi Jal Board (DJB) consumers have received inflated bills in recent years. Many residents had stopped paying due to these issues, which also affected the water utility's revenues.
While the previous AAP government had promised a one-time settlement scheme, it was never implemented. Water Minister Parvesh Verma in July confirmed that the BJP-led Delhi government would waive late payment surcharges on inflated water bills.
"If the person fails to pay even then, they will not get another chance. Past arrears and late payment surcharges added to the current bills were one of the main reasons for the high bills. Once these are waived, the bill will come down significantly," a senior official said.
By removing these charges, the total bill amount for many households will decrease significantly. A key feature of the initiative is that bills will be automatically recalculated, so residents will not have to visit DJB offices for individual corrections.
Financial impact
According to DJB records, domestic consumers in Delhi have unpaid dues totalling Rs 15,000 crore, while commercial users owe Rs 66,000 crore. Government departments under the Delhi administration owe Rs 33,295 crore, and central government agencies owe Rs 29,723.37 crore.
Among the central agencies, Indian Railways has the highest dues at Rs 21,530 crore, followed by Delhi Police at Rs 6,097 crore. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has pending payments of Rs 26,147 crore.
The new one-time settlement scheme is expected to provide a major boost to DJB's finances, with projected collections of around Rs 2,500 crore.