NEW DELHI: The Delhi government has extended the deadline for its Late Payment Surcharge (LPSC) waiver scheme on water bills from January 31 to August 15, Water Minister Pravesh Sahib Singh announced Friday.
The one-time amnesty scheme to waive off 100 per cent LPSC on water bills was announced last year in October. Under this scheme, domestic water consumers had to pay the principal amount of their bill by January 31 to get relaxation on the LPSC charges. Those who pay by March 31 were to get only a 70 per cent waiver on the bill.
The government claimed that the scheme has received an overwhelming response from citizens, reaffirming public trust in transparent governance and fair billing reforms. More than 3.30 lakh consumers have already availed the scheme, leading to the waiver of nearly Rs 1,500 crore in penal interest, while over Rs 430 crore in principal dues has been successfully collected till January 29.
Water Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma termed the response as a clear rejection of past misgovernance and a strong endorsement of reform-driven administration.
“The people of Delhi want to pay their water bills. What they want is honesty, transparency and correct billing. This massive response to the LPSC Waiver Scheme proves that Delhi’s citizens are responsible and ready to cooperate when the system is fair,” said Parvesh Sahib Singh .
According to Delhi Jal Board data, as many as 3,30,908 consumers have already availed the scheme, Rs 430.26 crore collected in principal dues and Rs Rs 1,493.70 crore (nearly Rs 1,500 crore) in LPSC waived.
The government believes this scheme is the biggest corrective step taken in Delhi’s water billing history. “For years, citizens were trapped under massive interest burdens created by faulty systems. We have broken that cycle. This scheme is not about waivers - it is about correcting injustice,” the Minister added.
Officials pointed out that compared to the earlier LPSC waiver scheme between October 2022 and March 2023; where only Rs 235 crore in principal was collected - the current scheme has already mobilised nearly double the amount in a much shorter time. “This clearly shows that when governance is clean and intentions are honest, people come forward. Delhi is witnessing a financial turnaround in the water sector,” said Parvesh Sahib Singh.
The extension till 15 August was based on several public-interest factors including requests from MLAs and public representatives, written appeals from RWAs across Delhi, legacy billing errors from previous regimes, reorganisation of ZRO offices causing temporary delays and need to give citizens a final fair chance before strict enforcement.
“The previous system created fear through inflated and faulty bills. We are fixing that broken structure. But reform takes time and citizens deserve breathing space. That is why we have extended the scheme,” the Minister stated.
The government has also taken note of the massive pending dues from non-domestic consumers, including government offices and private establishments. Nearly 87,000 non-domestic connections have outstanding principal dues of over Rs 2,068 crore, reflecting years of weak enforcement and financial mismanagement.
The Water Minister made it clear that accountability will now extend beyond households. “Reforms will not stop with domestic consumers. Large defaulters, whether government departments or private entities, must clear their principal dues. Public money cannot be allowed to remain blocked because of administrative negligence,” said the Minister.