BENGALURU: Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) announced a One-Time Settlement (OTS) scheme on Sunday for users with long-standing water bills. The scheme will incentivise users to settle their arrears in a single instalment, by paying only the principal amount, with “a 100 per cent waiver on interest and penalties”.
The Urban Development Department gave the green signal in its order dated December 23. The scheme will be valid for a limited period -- January, February, and March – with the final dates to be announced after further discussions with Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. The scheme is not unlike the limited-period scheme introduced by Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) earlier this year that waived 50 per cent of traffic fines, incentivising offenders to settle their dues.
“There is no room for middlemen in this process. Customers can directly register themselves on the official BWSSB website. A dedicated mobile app is also being developed for this purpose,” said BWSSB Chairman Ram Prasath Manohar. Special BWSSB teams will visit government buildings and commercial complexes to facilitate the settlement. For residential buildings, local officials will reach out to consumers.