New Delhi: The city govt on Tuesday announced a water bill amnesty scheme, offering a waiver of late-payment surcharge for domestic consumers. Commercial and govt establishments have not been included for now. The scheme offers a complete waiver to those who pay their bills by Jan 31, 2026, and a 70% waiver to those who pay between Feb 1 to March 31, CM Rekha Gupta said, adding about Rs 11,000 crore in surcharges will be waived. “This is a one-time offer. We won’t launch such schemes in the future. People should avail themselves of the benefit,” water minister Parvesh Verma said. “This is a Diwali gift for the people.”Nearly 16 lakh out of 27 lakh consumers registered with Delhi Jal Board (DJB) had been receiving inflated bills in the past few years, especially after the pandemic. Many stopped making payments, denting the water utility’s revenues.The outstanding water bill across all three categories of DJB amounts to Rs 87,589 crore. Of this, the principal amount is Rs 7,125 crore, and LPSC (late payment surcharge) is Rs 80,463 crore. The previous AAP govt had also promised a one-time amnesty scheme, but it was a non-starter. People can now pay the bills by entering their KNO (consumer number) on the DJB website. The upgraded system will generate the bills automatically, said an official. They can also pay their bills physically at either of the two DJB zonal offices in each assembly constituency.Gupta also announced a second scheme for consumers with unauthorised water or sewer connections. Under this scheme, in effect till Jan 31, 2026, penalties for unauthorised connections will be reduced significantly. For each domestic connection, a token fine of Rs 1,000 will be charged instead of the existing Rs 25,000. For non-domestic connections, the penalty will be reduced from Rs 61,000 to Rs 5,000. The CM said many households use unauthorised water or sewer connections owing to a lack of awareness or inability to pay regularisation fees. However, this relief applies only in the case of penalties; regular water and sewer charges and infrastructure fees must still be paid. Consumers who do not regularise connections after this period can face disconnection. AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj said the amnesty scheme fails to address incorrect bills issued specifically during the pandemic and instead imposes the same inflated bills on people. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva hit back, claiming the previous AAP govt used water bills to exploit residents, but the saffron govt has put a stop to it.
