Fulfilling one of its 18 poll promises, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government in Delhi, which took charge on Saturday, announced that 667 litres water a day would be given free for domestic use to each household in Delhi with a metered connection. However, if consumption crosses 20 kilolitres a month, the consumer will have to pay for the entire water usage and other charges.
Earlier on Monday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was running a high fever could not attend office. However, a Delhi Jal Board (DJB) team went to his residence in Ghaziabad on the outskirts of Delhi for a meeting.
After the meeting, DJB Chief Executive Officer Vijay Kumar told reporters: “All the domestic consumers having metered connection will get 20 kilolitres of water free of cost from January 1…We will not even levy any existing charges such as water cess and sewerage charge.”
Kumar took over as CEO of DJB on Saturday evening after the AAP government shunted out the incumbent Debashree Mukherjee to the Delhi Transport Corporations as Chief Managing Director. Mukherjee is understood to have reservations over supplying free water and was also said to be pushing for public-private partnership of water supply, for which pilot projects are underway.
Last month, DJB had planned to increase the water tariff by 10 per cent starting January to improve its finances.
However, it was not immediately clear whether the government would charge for water being supplied to over 1,600 unauthorised colonies across the city where meters are yet to be installed. There was no word either on the subsidy burden that will be incurred following this decision.
Incidentally, AAP’s election manifesto had announced that 700 litres of free water daily to each household if it came to power.
Meanwhile, Kejriwal has been advised rest by doctors. Senior AAP leader Kumar Vishwas told reporters that Kejriwal might have to put him on intravenous glucose if his health worsens.
Media upset Journalists covering the Delhi government were upset on Monday as they were not allowed entry into the Delhi secretariat and were asked to wait in a designated media room. As a result, journalists boycotted a press conference by the new Health Minister, Satyendra Jain, who was to brief them on health issues.