New Delhi: The Delhi Jal Board’s (DJB) water bill penalty waiver scheme has seen modest uptake since its launch last October, with about ₹550 crore recovered from around 408,000 consumers so far, even as total outstanding dues exceed ₹80,000 crore, shows data from the water utility.
The pace of recovery remained lukewarm even after the scheme was extended on January 30, with only around 77,000 additional consumers coming forward, helping the DJB collect an extra ₹120 crore over two months (till March 30).
The scheme, which was earlier restricted to domestic consumers, was widened on January 30 to include commercial users, but response from that segment has remained limited. According to DJB, only around 3,500 non-domestic consumers have availed of the scheme so far, contributing about ₹16 crore in principal dues.
Stakeholders and resident groups attributed the poor response to disputes over inflated bills and the repeated roll-out of waiver schemes, which they said discourages regular bill payers.
Under the late payment surcharge (LPSC) waiver scheme, announced last October, all domestic consumers can have any amount of LPSC waived. But there was a condition — 100% waiver on late payment charges was granted only if outstanding principal dues are settled by January 31, 2026, DJB officials said.
At the time of the scheme’s launch on October 14, 2025, the DJB had ₹80,463 crore in outstanding dues across domestic, government and commercial categories. Of this, the principal amount stood at ₹7,125 crore, with the rest comprising late payment surcharge. Commercial consumers alone accounted for around ₹66,000 crore of the unpaid dues.
Till January 29, around 330,000 consumers applied under the scheme, enabling the DJB to recover ₹430 crore in principal dues, according to official data. On January 30, the government announced an extension of the scheme till August 15, citing demand from elected representatives, resident welfare associations (RWAs) and consumers. As per the original announcement, from February 1 to March 31, the waiver on LPSC was reduced to 70%, officials said. During the past two months (till March 30), an additional 77,000 people availed of the scheme, allowing the DJB to collect ₹120 crore more in principal dues, a DJB official said.
“Only around 3,500 non domestic consumers availed of the scheme in last two months after paying total principle dues of ₹16 crore,” the official said, on condition of anonymity.
Atul Goel, who head RWA umbrella body URJA, said repeated bill amnesty schemes make the regular bill payers feel cheated. “Why should a regular consumer keep paying bills if an amnesty scheme is announced every few years? Moreover, many consumers have disputes over inflated bills where the principal amount does not match actual usage. No remedy was provided on that,” he added.
“Just like electricity meters were upgraded, water meters need to be replaced across the city. Many of them are either faulty or non-operational. The entire billing system needs an overhaul,” he said.
Ashok Bhasin, president of the federation of north Delhi RWAs, said better management at zonal revenue offices and easier access to grievance redressal could improve collections. “There is mismanagement and short staffing at zonal offices, forcing people to wait for hours to pay bills. The principal amount must be rationalised based on actual usage, and camps should be organised in colonies to resolve issues.”
The Delhi Jal Board, which supplies water to around 2.9 million consumers across the national capital, has faced persistent complaints from residents over billing irregularities. Over the past 12 years, it has introduced at least five amnesty schemes offering varying levels of relief on late payment charges and, in some cases, on principal dues (25-100%).
Since last year, the BJP-led government has initiated steps to overhaul the DJB, including upgrading digital infrastructure, billing systems and e-KYC of consumers, as well as improving staffing. On January 29, water minister Parvesh Verma suspended three zonal revenue officers and one assistant section officer after a surprise inspection revealed mismanagement.