Late payment charges on water bills to be completely waived off
Consumers can visit their nearest Delhi Jal Board (DJB) office to avail of the benefit: Chief Minister Rekha Gupta
New Delhi
The Delhi government has announced a major relief measure for residents struggling with unpaid water bills. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said that citizens will receive a 100% rebate on late payment charges on water bills until January 31, followed by a 70% rebate from February 1 to March 31.
Beginning Wednesday, consumers can visit their nearest Delhi Jal Board (DJB) office to avail of the benefit. Gupta said the government has waived surcharges worth ₹11,500 crore and slashed the penalty for unauthorized connections to ₹1,000. Illegal water connections can now be regularized for ₹1,000, while commercial connections will be regularized for just ₹5,000, down from the earlier fee of ₹61,000.
Gupta said the government had spent the past seven months overhauling the functioning of the Jal Board.
As part of the reform, 34 new Zonal Revenue Offices (ZROs) will be established, with each ZRO catering to two assembly constituencies.
The new system will ensure smooth billing, prompt grievance redressal, and better service delivery.
She added that after the Diwali relief on GST, the government is extending another “gift” in the form of a water bill rebate.
“Wherever we went, people would show us their water bills and ask when the errors would be fixed. This move is for them,” she said.
Taking aim at the previous Aam Aadmi Party government, Gupta alleged that the Jal Board was left financially crippled and that its connections were deliberately capped at 2.9 million.
She said the outdated revenue system created unnecessary hardships for residents.
Delhi’s Water Minister Pravesh Verma said a software glitch that had earlier disrupted billing has now been resolved. He added that while the new rebate scheme may result in thousands of crores in losses for the Jal Board, it will greatly benefit Delhi’s citizens.
Verma said the penalty rate will also be reduced from 5% to 2%, and all penalties and interest on unpaid bills will be fully waived.
“Our priority is to ease the financial burden on the public and ensure fair, transparent water billing across the city,” he said.
