Delhi’s Urban Development Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Tuesday alleged that the government in Centre and Delhi LG are impeding the much-needed ‘One-Time Settlement Scheme’ for the settlement of the faulty water bills in the city.
While addressing a press conference here, Bharadwaj said that despite presenting concrete evidence and issuing directives, no action had been taken against the responsible officers by the LG, and furthermore the minister pointed that despite repeated instructions, the scheme has not been presented before the Cabinet.
Bharadwaj further alleged that the central government’s interference is exacerbating the plight of nearly 11 lakh Delhi Jal Board’s consumers.
He elaborated that it has been a topic of discussion for the past few days that across Delhi approximately 40 per cent of consumers of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) are distressed by inflated water bills, which is a significantly large number for any institution, he added.
“More than 10 lakh consumers amongst the total of 26 lakhs, are saying that their bills are not right, and the bills have not been generated as per their consumption,” the minister said further.
Speaking with regard to the delay over the implementation of the scheme, the senior AAP leader briefing on the timeline of scheme said, “The CM has already informed all regarding the obstructions to the cabinet note. On 13.01.2023, the ‘One-Time Settlement Scheme’ was passed in DJB’s board meeting.”
“A month ago, on 25.01.2024, it was sent to the Finance Department soliciting their comments,” Bharadwaj added further questioning as to how long can any department take to offer their comments, a few days, or a couple of weeks.
He further claimed that despite adopting the path suggested by the LG and issuing directives to the Chief Secretary, action in this regard still awaits.
He also wondered as to why action is not being taken against an officer despite complaints made to the LG in this connection, and further added that this indicates and raises suspicion regarding a collusion between LG and the officers.