A shocker awaits Delhiites, who do not have a sewerage connection. They will have to cough up surcharges ranging between Rs200 and Rs500 per month, depending on the category of the colonies. Those living in A and B categories colonies will have to fork out Rs500 per month and those in C and D will have to pay Rs300 and the rest Rs200 a month. This amount will be realised along with the monthly water bill of each household having water connection but not sewerage. However, those, who don’t have both water and sewerage connections but are getting water through tankers, will have to pay sewerage
charges and the amount
would be reflected in their electricity bills.
The Arvind Kejriwal Government on Friday approved the proposal in this regard at an emergency Cabinet meeting. It is learnt that there are over 1,000 unauthorised colonies, which have no sewer system. The new charges will help in generating cash flow for DJB. The DJB is expected to collect over Rs500 crore annually from this levy.
Both the Congress and the BJP dubbed the move a back door method by the Kejriwal Government to recover the losses that it has been incurring by providing free water up to 20Kl every month to a house. It is the State Government’s responsibility to provide sewer facility to the city.
The move comes following the directives of National Green Tribunal whereby in May this year it had directed the Delhi Government, Delhi Jal Board and all municipal corporations, cantonment board, electricity distribution companies and all other civic authorities to levy environmental compensation fee from every household which is generating sewage in the national Capital. The NGT directive states that every household in the city will now have to pay a minimum environment compensation of Rs 100 for generating sewage.
According to Cabinet decision, the households falling in the category A and B, have water connection but do not have sewer connection, will have to pay Rs 500 per month as environmental compensation fee. The households falling in the category C and D type colonies will have to pay Rs 300 per month while the colonies falling in the categories-E, F, G and H, will have to pay Rs 200 per month. This amount would be collected by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) by adding the same in the water bill of the household. The households, which are not in the billing network of DJB, will also be required to pay the levy at the same rates and the amount would be collected by discoms. This means the amount of environmental charge will be reflected in their electricity or water bills every month. It would be pertinent to mention that only 14.83 lakh consumers having sewer facility.
“It is understood that residents of Delhi are not coming forward to take sewerage connections even in those areas where DJB has sewerage network. This is reportedly because DJB is asking for one-time charges. Then special secretary of MoEF and now secretary water resources has repeatedly asked DJB to study revenue model of the States like Tamil Nadu and specially Chennai to make a positive cash flow model in sewerage treatment. In Chennai, the cost is recovered with monthly bills instead of one time payments,” it said.
According to Cabinet note, DJB at present collects sewerage charge at the rate of 60 per cent of water bill. But it is collected only from those households which have sewer connections. As per census record of 2011, total household in Delhi is about 33.10 lakh. There are many households getting water and generating sewerage but not contributing toward sewerage tax on account of not having sewer connection. Further there are many unauthorised colonies getting water without having sewer connection.