The Delhi government has decided to waive the late payment surcharge (LPSC) on the water bills of domestic and commercial consumers under the last rebate scheme till December 31 this year.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia chaired the 163rd board meeting of the Delhi Jal Board on Monday in which several decisions were taken. He approved projects worth Rs 869 crore during the meeting. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, “The government has taken a big decision to provide relief to the people of Delhi from the outstanding water bills. Late fee (late payment surcharge) on outstanding water bills will be 100 per cent waived till December 31, 2022. That is, you can pay your old outstanding bills without worrying about late fees.”

An official statement said, “During the year 2020-21, the corona pandemic was at its peak, due to which a large number of people had to face a severe financial crisis. As a result, most of the consumers were unable to pay their outstanding water bills. Due to repeated application of LPSC, the arrear amount increased on the higher side and the consumers were not able to pay the water bill.”

“In view of this, the consumers, elected representatives, various organisations and many government institutions had appealed that by waiving LPSC on water bills, people should be given a chance to pay their dues. Following this, the board approved the waiver of the Late Payment Surcharge (LPSC) on domestic and commercial bills,” it added.

According to the statement, the current outstanding bill is Rs 27,000 crore, including Rs 22,000 crore of LPSC amount and Rs 5,000 crore of the principal component.

“Delhi Jal Board is expected to deposit about Rs 2,000 crore through this scheme. This scheme will be effective till March 31, 2023,” it said.

However, a 10 per cent LPSC rebate will be applicable only for those consumers who will pay their outstanding bills under the LPSC rebate scheme on or before December 31 this year.

A discount of 75 per cent will be applicable for those consumers who will pay their outstanding bills under the LPSC rebate scheme during the period January 1, 2023, to March 31, 2023.

Delhi government has also approved various projects, related to cleaning the Yamuna.

“Under these projects, the existing 5 MGD STP at Najafgarh will be upgraded. Apart from this, 20 MGD STP capacity in Keshopur Phase-II and Phase-3 will be upgraded up to 60 MGD,” said the statement.

“The treated water coming from these STPs is very useful which will be used for the purposes of horticulture and rejuvenation of Delhi’s lakes, etc. This will help the government meet the demands of potable water,” Sisodia said.