Delhi Water Minister Parvesh Verma announced on Monday that the government is preparing to launch a new scheme aimed at addressing the issue of inflated water bills faced by residents across the capital. The move comes in response to widespread complaints from consumers over improper billing practices by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), which manages water supply for approximately 29 lakh registered customers in the city.
"We are working on a bill waiver scheme that will be rolled out soon. Under this scheme, domestic water bills will be reduced by up to 90 per cent," Verma stated. He further explained that a restructuring of the billing system is underway, and a new software is being developed to ensure accuracy in billing. "Some technical issues are being ironed out at the moment," he added.
Verma also revealed that by 2027, all unauthorized colonies in Delhi will be equipped with sewer lines. To streamline this process, the DJB is preparing a comprehensive sewerage master plan. “A global tender will be issued shortly for this master plan, which aims to address both current and future sewerage infrastructure requirements of the city,” he said.
As part of his review of the first 100 days of the BJP government in Delhi, Verma, who also holds the Public Works Department (PWD) portfolio, highlighted several infrastructure initiatives. He stated that to mitigate the annual problem of waterlogging during monsoons, the government has installed additional pumps at critical hotspots.
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“Approximately 35 per cent of the PWD drains have been desilted, and we are targeting to complete the remaining work by June 15,” Verma said. He also noted that nearly 15 lakh metric tonnes of silt have been cleared from large drains managed by the irrigation and flood control department. To improve emergency response and coordination during the monsoon season, the government is working on a “one city, one control room, one number” initiative. A unified control room will be established at the NDMC Command Center to handle citywide complaints and emergencies.
Highlighting further achievements, Verma said that 100 kilometers of roads have been resurfaced, and 2,500 new streetlights have been installed across Delhi, significantly reducing dark spots and improving public safety.
Verma emphasized the cooperative functioning of the current BJP-led governance across various civic and administrative bodies in Delhi. “The biggest achievement of our government is the absence of blame games. Unlike the previous administration where the Chief Minister would blame the LG for every issue, we are working in unison across the MCD, the Centre, and the Delhi government,” he said.
Earlier this month, the minister had also informed that Delhi had been divided into 35 zones for the ongoing desilting operations, ensuring targeted and efficient completion of the work.
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