Delhi govt will soon introduce water bill waiver scheme: Parvesh Verma

Delhi Water Minister Parvesh Verma on Monday said the government will soon bring a scheme to address the issue of inflated water bills. The Delhi Jal Board (DJB), which is in charge of water supply across the city, has around 29 lakh registered customers, and many residents have complained about improper billing. ''We plan to introduce a bill waiver scheme soon under which all the domestic bills will be addressed and reduced by around 90 per cent. The billing system is going to be restructured, software for this is being developed and there are some technical issues that are being worked out,'' Verma said. All unauthorized colonies will have sewer lines by 2027 and the DJB is also working towards a sewerage master plan, he added. The minister said the ''DJB is planning a sewerage master plan'' to address the ''current problems of sewerage infrastructure and future needs of the city''.

''A global tender will be issued for this very soon,'' he added. Verma, who also holds the PWD portfolio, gave out details of the projects taken in departments under him in the first 100 days of the BJP government in Delhi. ''We have taken steps to address the waterlogging issue like installation of extra pumps at waterlogging hotspots. Around 35 per cent of the PWD drains have been desilted till now and for the remaining work, we have set the deadline of June 15,'' said Verma.

''Around 15 lakh metric tonnes of silt has been removed from large drains under the control of irrigation and flood control department,'' he added. The minister said the government is also working towards the mission of ''one city, one control room, one number'' for this monsoon season, as a unified control room will be established at the NDMC Command Center.

Highlighting the achievements, Verma said that 100 kilometers of roads have been resurfaced by the government and 2,500 new streetlights have been installed across the city, reducing dark spots.

''I would say the biggest achievement of our government is that there is no blame game in the government. This is the biggest reform that is being seen in Delhi. In the previous government, the chief minister used to blame the LG for problems,'' said Verma.

''But now we are addressing every problem of the city in a united way. From the MCD to the Centre, there is the BJP in all three places and one is not blaming the other for a problem,'' he added. Earlier this month, the minister had said that the city was divided into 35 zones where desilting work was underway.

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