DJB slashes infrastructure charges for hotels, banquet halls

Providing a major relief to commercial establishments, including banquet halls, hotels and industries, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has significantly slashed infrastructure charges depending on the categories of the colonies. The DJB’s infrastructure charges (I&FC) are levied on properties for new constructions and additions on plots between 150 sqm and 200 sqm. The charges are to be paid before the start of construction work on water and sewerage infrastructure management by the DJB. 

The new policy is designed to bring greater transparency, simplify the existing system and provide significant financial relief to residents and institutions. As per the order,  the infrastructure charges for commercial assembly and banquet halls falling  in A and B categories colonies and areas has been slashed from `57.68 lakh to `19.80 lakh, around 65.7 per cent reduction. Charges in C category have been reduced from `41.20 lakh to `19.80 lakh, while category D has witnessed a 19.9 per cent reduction, with charges coming down from `24.72 lakh to `19.80 lakh. 

Similarly, projects in categories E and F will now pay `9.90 lakh instead of `16.48 lakh, translating into a 39.9 per cent reduction. In G and H categories, the charges have been reduced from `16.48 lakh to `5.94 lakh, a cut of 63.9 per cent. Hotels have also received substantial relief under the revised structure.
“The revised rates applicable to different categories of four-storey buildings on 1,000 square metres (sqm) plots having a 150 floor area ratio (FAR), provide relief ranging from 14.5 per cent to 84.6 per cent, depending on the category and type of establishment,” the order said.

“Infrastructure charges for categories A and B have been brought down from `57.68 lakh to `24.06 lakh, a 58.3 per cent reduction. In category C, charges have been reduced by 41.6 per cent, from `41.20 lakh to `24.06 lakh,” the order added. “For four-storey industrial buildings, the charges for categories A and B have been slashed from `57.68 lakh to `8.91 lakh, an 84.6 per cent reduction. Category C has witnessed a 78.4 per cent cut, with charges reduced from `41.20 lakh to `8.91 lakh, while Category D will see a 64 per cent reduction, from `24.72 lakh to `8.91 lakh,” the order added.

 Similarly, E and F categories will benefit from a 73 per cent reduction, with charges coming down from `16.48 lakh to `4.46 lakh, and categories G and H will receive an 83.8 per cent reduction, with the fee reduced from `16.48 lakh to `2.67 lakh “The substantial reduction is expected to lower the cost of setting up industrial projects and provide a major boost to manufacturing and industrial investment in the national capital,” an official said. 

Institutional buildings such as custodial, penal and mental health institutes have also been brought under the revised structure.“For categories A and B, the charges have been reduced from `54.93 lakh to `37.58 lakh, a 31 per cent reduction. The C and D categories have each received a 14.5 per cent reduction, with charges declining from `43.95 lakh to `37.58 lakh,” the order said.
In E and F areas, the charges have been lowered from `27.47 lakh to `18.79 lakh, translating into a 31.6 per cent reduction, it added.