NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said his government will waive late fees on outstanding water bills till December 31. The CM informed that 85 million gallons of sewage from Keshopur and Najafgarh will be cleaned before it flows into the Najafgarh drain.
This, according to the chief minister, is expected to reduce the pollution load in the Yamuna river by 30 per cent. “The government has taken a big decision to provide relief to the people of Delhi from the outstanding water bills. Late fee (late payment surcharge) on outstanding water bills will be waived 100 per cent till December 31, 2022,” Kejriwal said in a series of tweets in Hindi.
The Delhi Jal Board (DGB) said a 100 per cent rebate on late fees is applicable only for those who clear their outstanding bill on or before December 31. A rebate of 75 per cent on late fees will be given to those who clear their bill between January 1 and March 31, 2023.
“Sewage pumping stations of 55 MGD cumulative capacity will be built on Badli, Nigam Bodh and Mori Gate drains. The dirty water of these drains will not go into the Yamuna,” Kejriwal said. The Yamuna enters Delhi at Palla in the north and leaves at Jaitpur in the south, traversing a length of 48 km.
Twenty-two drains carrying domestic wastewater and industrial effluent fall into the Yamuna between Wazirabad and Okhla. Though the 22-km stretch is less than two per cent of the river length, it accounts for about 80 per cent of the pollution in the river. The DJB in a statement said Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has approved projects worth Rs 869 crore to make the Yamuna pollution free.
Sisodia said that the Delhi government has decided to waive late fees on outstanding water bills in view of a large number of people facing a severe financial crisis due to the Covid pandemic. According to the DJB, the outstanding bill is Rs 27,000 crore, including a late fee of Rs 22,000 crore.
A 46-km long sewerage line will be laid at Chandanhola and Satbari in the Chhatarpur assembly constituency in South Delhi at a cost of Rs 54 crore. Delhi accounts for only 2 per cent of the stretch of the Yamuna river but contributes to 80 per cent of the river pollution. The river carries untreated or semi-treated industrial effluents and sewage.