‘BJP Creating Hurdles’: Delhi CM Kejriwal Assures One-Time Settlement Scheme For 'Inflated' Water Bills

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal assured that his government is looking into the issue of "inflated" water bills and plans to resolve this by bringing a one-time settlement scheme very soon.

File photo: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday met families in southeast Delhi's Govindpuri over exorbitant water bills. ( Image Source :PTI )

New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal convened with families in southeast Delhi's Govindpuri on Saturday, who voiced concerns over receiving excessively high water bills, assuring them of swift resolution to the issue. While engaging with the families, Kejriwal assured that his government will soon come up with 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 assured Govindpuri residents, many of whom congregated in the streets with their water bills, as per news agency PTI.

He emphasised that the AAP would spare no effort in executing the scheme.

"Even people with tiny houses have received bills worth lakhs of rupees. This problem started during 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 also said, PTI reported.

In this regard, Delhi Water Minister Atishi also accompanied Kejriwal.

According to the PTI, earlier in the week on Thursday, the chief minister convened an all-party meeting to discuss the one-time settlement scheme. The following day on Friday, AAP legislators staged protests in the Delhi Assembly against the alleged obstruction of the scheme by the BJP, leading to the adjournment of the House. The AAP MLAs tore and tossed copies of the purportedly "inflated" water bills inside the Assembly and subsequently burned copies of the bills near the Gandhi statue in the assembly complex.

The AAP alleges that the one-time settlement scheme of the Delhi government has encountered obstacles as the urban development secretary is reportedly "refusing" to present the proposal before the Council of Ministers.

The Delhi Jal Board has provided 27 lakh water connections, with nearly 10.5 lakh consumers withholding payments, citing exorbitant billing.