Delhi: Kejriwal announces scheme to waive water bill arrears

With an eye on Assembly elections, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday announced a scheme to waive arrears on water bills.

The scheme will cover domestic as well as commercial connections.

Addressing a press conference, Kejriwal said, "Today, we are announcing a scheme to waive water bill arrears to clean up Delhi Jal Board's books. Some of these arrears were due to consumers but some were also due to incorrect billing."

He noted, "To take the benefits under it, the households must have functional meters. The households which do not have functional meters can get them installed by November 30 to avail the benefits."

 

The chief minister said that the measure will apply to all house-tax categories -- A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H.

"For E, F, G and H categories, the principal amount of arrears and late payment surcharge (LPS) will be written off. LPS will be waived for A, B, C and D categories as well," he said.

Under the scheme, Kejriwal said 25 per cent of the principal amount in the water bill dues for A and B category households will be set aside.

"In addition, 50 per cent of the principal amount for C category households and 75 per cent for the D category will also be written off," he said.

For commercial connections, the chief minister said on payment of arrears till March 31, the entire LPS will be set aside.

The Delhi Jal Board expects to recover Rs 600-crore revenue through the scheme, he added.

Assembly polls in Delhi are due in February next year.

In his opening remarks, he stressed that the Delhi government has worked towards drastically improving the water infrastructure in the metropolis over the last five years with 93 per cent of the colonies now having piped supply.

"In the next five years, the people of Delhi will get clean water round-the-clock. To achieve the target, we have started several initiatives to improve water productivity in the city," Kejriwal said.