NEW DELHI: The Delhi Jal Board (DJB), in a board meeting held on Wednesday and chaired by Water Minister Parvesh Verma, cleared several long-pending infrastructure projects aimed at improving water supply and sewerage services across the national capital.
The decisions are expected to benefit lakhs of residents and address delays that have stalled essential public utilities.
A key decision taken at the meeting was to allow DJB to directly handle water and sewerage schemes for the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and other land development agencies.
The move rolls back a 2019 policy that required all such proposals to be approved by the full board, replacing a quicker clearance process that previously existed at the level of Chief Engineer (Planning). Officials said the earlier system had led to significant project delays, hampered service delivery, and held up infrastructure charges from developers.
Among the delayed projects were the water supply component of DDA’s low-income housing in Narela and the in-situ rehabilitation of Katputli Colony near Shadipur Depot. With this change, the DJB is now expected to clear such schemes without board-level bottlenecks, potentially speeding up implementation.
The board also approved the revival of the Delhi Water Supply Improvement Project in the Wazirabad Water Treatment Plant (WTP) command area. Initially cleared in 2013 under Asian Development Bank (ADB) funding, the project had stalled and lost funding in 2020.
Officials said renewed talks led to ADB re-committing to the project. It is expected to cover 123 sq km, serving around 30 lakh residents across areas such as Model Town, Burari, and Shakur Basti, and aims to reduce water loss and expand equitable supply.