Inflated bills: Will implement one-time settlement scheme, says Kejriwal

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday met families in southeast Delhi's Govindpuri who claimed to have received inflated water bills and assured them that the issue would be resolved at the earliest.

Interacting with the families, Kejriwal said his government will soon bring a scheme for a one-time settlement of water bills.

"We are looking into the issue of inflated water bills and plan to resolve this by bringing a one-time settlement scheme very soon. The policy got delayed as the BJP has been creating hurdles for us. However, we are working on bringing this scheme at the earliest," Kejriwal told Govindpuri residents, many of whom had gathered in the streets with their water bills.

He said the AAP will do everything to implement the scheme.

"Even people with tiny houses have received bills worth lakhs of rupees. This problem started in the (COVID-19) pandemic as units were not noted in person during that time.

"There are 12 lakh families who have received inflated bills. Their bills will be fixed very soon and bills less than Rs 20,000 will be waived. The BJP is halting the scheme but we will do everything possible to implement it, even if it means that I have to go on a hunger strike," he said.

Kejriwal was accompanied by Delhi Water Minister Atishi.

On Thursday, the chief minister had called an all-party meeting to discuss the one-time settlement scheme.

On Friday, AAP MLAs had protested in the Delhi Assembly against alleged stalling of the scheme by the BJP, forcing adjournment of the House.

The AAP MLAs tore and tossed copies of the "inflated" water bills inside the House and later burnt copies of the bills near the Gandhi statue in the assembly complex.

The AAP alleges that the Delhi government's one-time settlement scheme has hit a roadblock as the urban development secretary is "refusing" to present the proposal before the Council of Ministers.

The Delhi Jal Board has provided 27 lakh water connections and nearly 10.5 lakh consumers have not paid bills claiming they were highly inflated.