Delhi Jal Board struggles to recover ₹63,000 crore in unpaid dues
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The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) is grappling with an unprecedented financial burden, with unpaid dues amounting to ₹63,000 crore, a majority of which are owed by government departments, The Times of India reported.As per DJB records reviewed by ToI, Delhi government departments owe ₹33,295 crore, while central government agencies account for ₹29,723.37 crore in outstanding dues. Among the latter, Indian Railways alone owes ₹21,530 crore, followed by Delhi Police with ₹6,097 crore. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi also has pending payments of ₹26,147 crore.A senior DJB official told ToI that despite multiple reminders to the defaulters, the board has been unable to recover the dues, severely impacting its day-to-day operations, maintenance, and infrastructure expansion. Officials acknowledged that the matter now demands urgent intervention.Adding to the burden, commercial users owe ₹66,000 crore, while domestic consumers have pending dues of ₹15,000 crore, according to the data cited by ToI.Officials clarified that under the current plan, relief from inflated water bills will only be extended to domestic users, not commercial ones or government agencies. The problem of pending water and sewerage charges has persisted since 2012-13, the report added.Delhi Water Minister Parvesh Verma told ToI:'Water is a shared responsibility and ensuring its uninterrupted supply requires collective effort. Resolving these financial bottlenecks will significantly strengthen our capacity to maintain and improve the city's water infrastructure. We are committed to working with all stakeholders to ensure timely solutions in the best interest of every Delhi resident.'Sources cited by ToI said the reasons for the unpaid bills varied widely — some departments dispute being charged commercial rates, while others question the accuracy of billing for unmetered or unknown water connections. Hospitals and government departments have objected to being billed as commercial users. The Railways, in particular, claimed that it didn't have as many water connections as DJB was billing it for, and many of those were unmetered.The Delhi government is now considering a full waiver of late payment surcharges for domestic users. Many people reportedly stopped paying their bills due to inflated amounts caused by faulty or estimated meter readings, bills generated during Covid lockdowns when homes were vacant, or mounting arrears that escalated due to repeated non-payment and accruing penalties. A DJB official admitted that non-payment of disputed bills triggered a spiral of late fees, increasing the amount due exponentially.However, officials clarified to ToI that no relief is planned for commercial users or government departments, and complaints related to false meter readings are also outside the scope of the waiver. In October and November 2022, DJB's online portal reportedly received over 10,000 complaints about wrong billing.A proposed one-time settlement scheme, promised last year by the previous government, failed to take off.To address future disputes, DJB plans to replace existing water meters with smart metering devices, which officials believe will eliminate billing errors. The current system, which relies on meter readers submitting physical images, often results in outdated or inaccurate readings, eventually leading to erroneous and inflated bills.With inputs from ToI
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