New Delhi

Delhi Jal Board to examine proposal

NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Tuesday said the Delhi Jal Board would examine a proposal suggesting lowering of sewerage development charges for the economically weaker categories. The Board will assess how it can further reduce the economic burden on the weaker sections of society by allowing them a discount for payment of sewerage development fund, she said.

Addressing the media after chairing a meeting of the Jal Board of which she is the Chairperson, Ms. Dikshit said the utility had been able to stall an increase in water and sewerage charges till now and would further work to provide relief to the inhabitants of slum clusters, resettlement colonies and areas where the population is predominantly underprivileged.

“The revenue collection for the years 2007-08 has been more than the previous financial year, and this has been achieved without raising the water and sewer charges. We will examine the possibility of categorising areas and calculate the sewerage development charges based on this categorisation, like it is done for the collection of taxes,” the Chief Minister explained.

She said the Board would assess the possibility of fixing sewerage development charges, currently Rs.160 per square metre, based on the plot size and the consumer’s paying capacity.

The water utility has also decided not to raise the water or sewer charges for the current financial year.

The decision to take a new look at the sewerage development charges comes in the wake of reports that people in some areas are reluctant to opt for a sewer connection finding the charges prohibitive.

“There are some areas where people have expressed their inability to pay the charges. While in some areas consumers have refused to pay after taking the connection, in several others they have refused to take the connection. So the Board has decided to examine the issue,” said a senior official.

He said a decision on the issue will be taken once the final report is submitted in the next 10-15 days.

The Chief Minister, who also released a handbook for sewer workers on the occasion, said the Delhi Jal Board had been able to make use of the entire allocation for the last financial year.

“Last year the Board had a Plan budget of Rs.856 crore and in 2007-08 it has spent the entire Plan allocation of Rs.1,342 crore, which is almost Rs.500 crore more that the last year,” Ms. Dikshit said. For 2008-09, total Plan budget of Rs.1,450.95 crore has been proposed for the water and sewerage sectors, of which Rs.888.85 crore is for the water sector and the remaining Rs.562.10 crore for the sewerage sector.

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