Will bring one-time settlement scheme soon to clear water bill pendency: Manish Sisodia

The Delhi government will bring a one-time settlement scheme within a week for complaints related to wrong and inflated water bills to clear pendency, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia announced Wednesday.

He also said in the last meeting of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), it was decided that those who did not pay their bills in time because of the bills being wrong or inflated will not have to pay the late surcharge.

Since then, 4.5 lakh people have paid bills worth Rs 252 crore, he said.

”Out of 26 lakh water connections, there are no problems with 18 lakh. But bills of eight lakh connections were pending,” the deputy chief minister said. ”We were getting complaints of people receiving inflated bills or wrong bills. Even MLAs had complained about it. It has been decided that the Delhi Jal Board will prepare a report within a week to implement the scheme to settle inflated bills to remove pendency,” Sisodia told reporters.

At a press conference, the deputy chief minister said several key decisions were taken during a meeting of the DJB on Wednesday. Earlier, if someone had to install a new metre for an old connection, they would have to approach the government. They used to apply to the DJB but it could not replace their metres due to some issues, he said.

”From now on, people can either approach the DJB to replace their old metre or they can get it installed themselves. People will have the right to get a new metre installed in place of their old one for an existing connection,” Sisodia said.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has a dream that Delhi should get a 24-hour water supply. Many key decisions have been taken to turn that into reality, he said.

”The DJB approved several projects, including setting up 10 underground reservoirs. Under this, four old underground reservoirs will be upgraded while six will come up at new locations. ”The government will lay a 300-kilometre pipeline while 84 kilometres of the old pipeline will be upgraded. It will lay new sewer lines in 44 unauthorised colonies and 14 villages of Karawal Nagar, Burari and Narela,” the deputy chief minister said.