Delhi govt waives 100% water bill surcharge, calls it a Diwali gift

Domestic consumers who settle their pending water bills by January 31, 2026, will be offered a full 100 per cent waiver on the surcharge. The scheme excludes commercial and government establishments

In a major festive relief for residents, the Delhi government unveiled a water bill amnesty scheme on Tuesday, offering a complete waiver of late-payment surcharges, The Times of India reported today. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the move would write off nearly ₹11,000 crore in surcharges.

 

“This is a one-time offer. We won’t launch such schemes in the future. People should avail themselves of the benefit,” Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Parvesh Verma said, calling it a “Diwali gift for the people”.

 

The scheme applies only to domestic consumers; commercial and government establishments are not covered at this stage.

 

Full waiver on late fees till January 

Under the new scheme, domestic consumers who clear their outstanding water bills by January 31, 2026, will receive a 100 per cent waiver on the Late Payment Surcharge (LPSC). Those settling dues between February 1 and March 31, 2026, will still be eligible for a 70 per cent waiver.

 

According to government officials, nearly 160,000 of the 270,000 consumers registered with the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) have received inflated bills in recent years, particularly after the pandemic. Many people stopped paying, leading to a sharp drop in the utility’s revenue.

 

The total outstanding water bill across all three consumer categories stands at ₹87,589 crore, constituting a principal amount of ₹7,125 crore and LPSC of ₹80,463 crore.

 

A similar one-time amnesty was promised by the previous AAP government, but failed to take off. Consumers can now pay their dues by entering their KNO (consumer number) on the DJB’s official website.

 

Separate scheme for unauthorised connections 

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the initiative is designed to ease the financial burden on lakhs of households facing inflated water bills. She also announced a scheme for consumers with unauthorised water or sewer connections, valid till January 31, 2026.

 

Under this scheme, penalties will be substantially reduced from ₹25,000 to ₹1,000 for each domestic connection, and from ₹61,000 to ₹5,000 for non-domestic connections.

 

Gupta said the government recognises that many residents have unauthorised connections either due to a lack of awareness or an inability to pay the steep regularisation fees.

 

While the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Delhi government called the decision as a fair and timely step towards providing relief, Opposition leaders were quick to criticise the timing and execution of the announcement.