The BJP-led Delhi government may bring an amnesty scheme or a One-Time Settlement (OTS) scheme, for Delhi Jal Board (DJB) consumers to revise faulty water bills. Water Minister Parvesh Verma on Wednesday announced in the assembly that the government has also asked not to disconnect water connections of consumers having disputes due to the ‘faulty bills. He further said that the government may bring an amnesty scheme or “one-time settlement scheme” that will allow residents to clear their pending water bills.
Verma, speaking at the floor of Delhi Assembly on Wednesday, assured to resolve the issue on a priority basis to protect interests of those facing difficulties to pay their bills. According to an estimate, there are nearly 1.6 million (40 per cent) of their 2.7 million consumers have received incorrect water bills in the last few years.
After getting ‘inflated’ bills from the DJB, majority of residents stopped paying these bills entirely, significantly slashing the water utility’s revenues. The Delhi government has received numerous complaints to this effect as well. The previous government had also promised to bring one time settlement scheme last year but no further development was made. While campaigning for Delhi Assembly elections, AAP National Convener Arvind Kejriwal had promised to waive the “inflated” water bills received by people in Delhi if his party returns to power. Kejriwal had also appealed people not to pay their bills for sometimes.
During the Delhi Assembly’s Budget session, many BJP MLAs raised the issue claiming that residents are in distress due to their water bills. The MLAs said that ‘exorbitant’ bills were generated during Covid period and the situation worsens in the last couple of years of the AAP government. They claimed that consumers living in 25 yards house have been getting bills of `2 lakh and even more.
Responding to the MLAs, Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta asked the Minister to clear air over the issue expressing his wish that amnesty scheme can provide relief to the affected residents.
In his reply, the minister said that till the issue of increased bills is investigated, the water connection of any house will not be cut. He said that the AAP government, which was in power for 10 years, had sent fake water bills worth lakhs of rupees to disturb people. Verma said that even houses of 100 yards and 25 yards were getting bills worth lakhs of rupees.
Verma further stated that mandatory biometric attendance for DJB employees, the installation of 249 new tube wells, and an increase of 1,327 water tankers to improve supply. He said a command centre has been established to monitor water distribution, which will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta in a few days.
He said that Delhi requires 1,200 million gallons per day (MGD) but currently receives only 990 MGD. “To address this gap, the government will install 249 new tube wells over the next three months — 96 will be operational by May, 88 in June, and 55 in July.”
“At present, 901 water tankers are in operation, and this number will be increased to 1,327. However, tankers are only a temporary solution, we need to address the root causes of water shortages,” Verma said.
The minister said 32 new super sucker machines will be deployed soon to clean sewers, with tenders for 30 more approved to ensure each constituency has one. Within the next four months, all gutters and sewers will be desilted, and sensors will be installed in water tankers to monitor levels accurately, he said.
“All sectors will be integrated with the IT cell for better monitoring,” Verma added. A water infrastructure project in Sangam Vihar, built at a cost of `4 crore under the previous government, remains unused due to multiple leaks, he said.
“Officials have informed me that an additional `5 crore would be required for its repairs and many of Delhi’s pipelines are over 80 years old and require urgent replacement,” he said. Verma said that to improve accountability, fingerprint scanners will be installed in all DJB offices for attendance tracking. In addition, 180 junior engineers will be recruited for maintenance and project work, while the number of labourers in each constituency will be doubled from 10 to 20 to enhance efficiency, minister said.
