NEW DELHI: In a move aimed at providing relief to several residents, the Delhi government is likely to come up with an amnesty scheme to waive off inflated water bills during the previous AAP dispensation.
The government has said that till the completion of an investigation into inflated bills, water connection of any house will not be cut.
Water Minister Parvesh Verma told the Assembly on Wednesday that the government would resolve the issue on a priority basis. “A solution will be found soon,” Verma added.
According to an estimate, nearly 1.6 million (40%) of 2.7 million consumers have received inflated bills in the last few years and many of them stopped paying the bills to the Delhi Jal Board, reducing the water utility’s revenues. The AAP government had promised to bring a one-time settlement scheme last year, but nothing was done.
During the Budget session of the Assembly, several BJP MLAs raised concerns about the residents’ struggle due to inflated water bills. They said that inflated bills were generated during the COVID-19 pandemic and the situation worsened in the last couple of years of the AAP rule. They claimed that consumers living in a 25-yard house have got water bills of `2 lakh and even more.
Speaker Vijender Gupta suggested that an amnesty scheme can provide relief to the affected residents.