Amnesty scheme for waiver of late water bills launched in Delhi

The new scheme, they said, will help both consumers and DJB clear long-pending accounts that have clogged the utility’s finances for years.

The Delhi government on Tuesday launched two wide-reaching water service schemes in a major pre-Diwali announcement – the first, offering a 100% waiver on late payment charges for pending water bills cleared before January 31; and the second allowing the regularisation of unauthorised water and sewer connections with heavy concessions totalling around ₹11,000 crore.

CM Rekha Gupta and water minister Parvesh Verma at Delhi Secretariat on Tuesday. (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)

Chief minister Rekha Gupta unveiled the initiatives during an event at the Delhi Secretariat on Tuesday, describing them as a “time-bound opportunity” for thousands of city residents to settle old dues and bring all households into the city’s water supply network.

“The government wants to ensure that no consumer is deprived of water services due to outstanding dues or technical obstacles,” Gupta said. “These schemes are meant to encourage timely payments and resolve long-standing issues.”

Under the “Late Payment Surcharge (LPSC) Waiver Scheme”, residents who clear their outstanding principal water dues by January 31, 2026, will receive a complete waiver on late payment charges. After that, from February 1 to March 31, 2026, a partial waiver of 70% will apply. Payments can be made either in lump sum or in instalments, but the waiver will only take effect once the full principal amount is paid.

“Water bills are calculated every two months, and unpaid amounts attract compound interest,” Gupta explained. “This often becomes unaffordable for many families and can even lead to disconnections. This is the government’s final amnesty window for people to start afresh.”

Officials said the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has pending dues amounting to ₹87,589 crore – of which ₹7,125 crore is the principal, and ₹80,463 crore, or over 90%, comprises accumulated late surcharges. The new scheme, they said, will help both consumers and DJB clear long-pending accounts that have clogged the utility’s finances for years.

The government said residents can avail of the scheme through DJB’s revenue management website, zonal revenue offices (ZROs), or special camps that will be set up across the city in the coming weeks.

Water minister Parvesh Sahib Singh called the initiative “a Diwali gift for the people of Delhi.” “While it may lead to financial losses of thousands of crores for the Jal Board, it will greatly benefit residents and ensure legal access to water connections. We are modernising the Jal Board, improving sewer facilities, and working to clean the Yamuna,” he said.

Relief for unauthorised connections

The second scheme, called the “Unauthorised Water and Sewer Connection Regularisation Scheme”, will also remain open until January 31, 2026. It offers concessions for households that currently use water or sewer connections without official authorisation.

Gupta said many households had resorted to unauthorised connections because they either lacked awareness or could not afford the hefty regularisation penalties. “The relief applies only to penalties. Regular charges and infrastructure fees must still be paid. After this period, unregularised connections will face disconnection,” she said.

Under the new rules, the penalty for unauthorised domestic connections will drop from ₹25,000 to ₹1,000, while non-domestic connections will see penalties reduced from ₹61,000 to ₹5,000. The scheme is expected to waive penalties worth approximately ₹11,000 crore.

According to the water minister, while Delhi has between 5-5.5 million electricity connections, the DJB has only 2.9 million registered water consumers — suggesting a large number of unregistered users. “This regularisation drive will help bring lakhs of households into the official network, increasing accountability and revenue in the long run,” Verma said.

The opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) dismissed the new initiatives as ineffective and alleged that the new scheme will not resolve “wrong bills” issues during the pandemic. AAP’s Delhi unit chief, Saurabh Bharadwaj, said in a post on X: “The wrong bills that were issued during the Corona period are not being resolved. Now those same wrong bills are being imposed on people. The government is saying remove LPSC, but the wrongful bill still has to be paid. We had already brought a similar scheme in October 2022, found it ineffective, and later passed a better ‘One Time Settlement’ plan. If you need help, I am ready to share it.”

Gupta, however, said that the BJP government had acted within seven months to fix a problem that had been ignored for years.

She said that her government has reorganised its zonal structure to ensure each one covers roughly two assembly segments, instead of some handling up to five. The reorganisation is expected to balance resources, manpower, and administrative workloads. This move, chief minister Gupta said, will provide “even resources and manpower to all”.

Gupta said these steps are aimed at reviving an institution weakened by years of centralised control. “The AAP had concentrated all financial powers, leaving nothing for DJB to function effectively. We have restored its autonomy so it can serve citizens better,” she said.