Dhobi ghats in New Delhi get water surcharge waiver

New Delhi: The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has approved a one-time waiver of the late payment surcharge (LPSC) on water bills for dhobi ghats across Lutyens’ Delhi, officials said

New Delhi: The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has approved a one-time waiver of the late payment surcharge (LPSC) on water bills for dhobi ghats across Lutyens’ Delhi, officials said.

The scheme provides for a complete waiver of the LPSC up to April 2026 and a one-time opportunity to settle bills. (Photo for representation)

The scheme provides for a complete waiver of the LPSC up to April 2026 and a one-time opportunity to settle long-pending bills.

Officials said that to rationalise the existing formula, the earlier 2.5-times multiplication factor is being removed and dhobi ghats will be charged at domestic rates. However, they will be charged at the highest volumetric rate within the domestic category for their bulk water usage,” an official said.

Delhi water minister and New Delhi MLA Parvesh Verma said: “Water connections registered under the commercial category for dhobi ghats within the NDMC area have been converted to the domestic category. The one-time waiver on pending water dues, along with rationalised water charges for dhobi ghats, will reduce long-pending dues and make the system more reasonable.”

“Under the scheme, consumers are required to clear the full principal amount along with the current bill, which can be paid in three instalments,” an official added.

Secondly, as part of rationalisation, the tariff structure is also being reworked. NDMC categorises water users into domestic and non-domestic (commercial and industrial) categories, whereby service charge and volumetric charges are levied according to the category. Officials explained that around ₹37.5 crore is currently due in late payment surcharge and the scheme can help recover substantial sums in principal amount.