DJB plans grievance committee at zonal levels to address grievances

New Delhi:The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) is planning to set up grievance committees to resolve consumers long-pending compalints, especially regarding excessive water bills, senior officials said

New Delhi:The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) is planning to set up grievance committees to resolve consumers long-pending compalints, especially regarding excessive water bills, senior officials said.

These committees, to be called “Jal Shikayat Samadhan Committees”, will be set up at zonal and district levels and provide a platform for consumers to raise their grievances related to water bills and other charges levied by the DJB. (HT Archive)

These committees, to be called “Jal Shikayat Samadhan Committees”, will be set up at zonal and district levels and provide a platform for consumers to raise their grievances related to water bills and other charges levied by the DJB.

A senior government official said the proposal was tabled during a board meeting held on Tuesday but no final decision was taken. “Under the proposal, a committee will be constituted at each zonal revenue office (ZRO) and district level, comprising experienced retired officials and officers from the revenue department, ” the official said.

One committee is proposed at each ZRO levels. Last year, the Delhi government redrew the boundaries of the DJB’s divisions into 34 zones, with each covering two assembly constituencies.

In May, HT reported that the DJB’s water bill relief scheme, launched in October last year, showed a relatively poor response despite the deadline extension and its expansion to include commercial consumers. Recovery data shows that less than 30% consumers with pending bills applied for the scheme over the last eight months.

Under the Late Payment Surcharge (LPSC) Waiver Scheme, all domestic consumers can have any LPSC waived, however, the base amount needs to be paid. A 100% waiver on late payment charges was to be granted if outstanding principal water dues are settled.

At the time of its launch, the total outstanding dues across domestic, government, and commercial categories stood at ₹87,589 crore. Of this, the principal amount was ₹7,125 crore and the LPSC charge was ₹80,463 crore. In the domestic category, pending bills amounted to ₹16,068 crore, with ₹5,057 crore as principal amount and ₹11,069 crore as the LPSC.

Residents said the main issue remains unresolved disputes over the original bills, along with lack of camps or door-to-door drives to correct billing errors.

A DJB official said further details of these committees are yet to be finalised before finalising the project.