While at one hand, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) is busy drafting a blueprint to accomplish the AAP Government’s “free lifeline water” goal, on the other, it has landed itself in a tight situation as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is strictly against the mandatory annual tariff hike of 10 per cent. A board meeting with Kejriwal in this regard was scheduled for Tuesday, but was deferred primarily due to the tariff hike issue. The meeting was expected to discuss the implementation of Kejriwal Government’s promise of providing up to 20,000 litres of free water per household every month.
In January, the DJB had to refrain from increasing water tariffs due to the elections. While for the water utility the tariff revision is of significant importance, the AAP Government, however, has been insistent that officials first focus on finding ways to supply 700 litres of free water to every metered household daily. During his previous tenure as CM, Kejriwal had allowed the compulsory annual 10 per cent hike in water tariffs and that this time his party’s manifesto promises to abolish the same, adding to the confusion of DJB officials. “A decision on the hike will be taken only in the board meeting. Our primary focus at present is on the free water scheme,” said a top DJB official adding that the final call on the hike will be taken by the Chief Minister.
Justifying the need for the hike, another official explained, “The decision to impose a 10 per cent tariff hike annually is in accordance with a resolution passed by the Board on November 30, 2009. It is an imminent hike. But under the given circumstances, one solution would be to make the increase in rates applicable only for those who use beyond 20 kilolitres of water per month.” Officials further informed that in order to give 20,000 litres of free water to every household per month, the Government will have to give around Rs 500 crore as subsidy to the DJB.
In December, 2013, when Arvind Kejriwal became the seventh CM of Delhi, he announced the same free water scheme. But he had also approved increasing the tariff by 10 per cent.