Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Jan 30: The Delhi government has extended the deadline for its Late Payment Surcharge (LPSC) Waiver Scheme on water bills till August 15, Water Minister Parvesh Verma announced on Friday, citing strong public response to the initiative.
The scheme, launched on October 14, 2025, is aimed at domestic consumers with long-pending water bills. Under the LPSC waiver, consumers are required to pay only the principal amount, while the entire late payment surcharge is waived off. The deadline, which was earlier set for January 31, has now been extended by over six months.
According to Verma, more than 3.30 lakh consumers have already availed the benefits of the scheme. He said domestic customers have received rebates worth Rs 1,493 crore so far, while the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has collected Rs 430 crore in revenue.
The government stated that over 16 lakh domestic consumers currently have pending water bills. Verma expressed confidence that recoveries would increase further after the next billing cycle, once updated bills reflecting the waived surcharge reach consumers.
The minister also revealed that the government has waived late payment surcharge amounting to Rs 11,000 crore under the scheme and aims to recover around Rs 5,000 crore in DJB pending dues.
Stressing that the reform drive will not be limited to domestic users, Verma said large defaulters, including government departments and private entities, must clear their principal dues. He also announced that a similar 100 per cent waiver scheme for non-domestic consumers will be rolled out in the coming days.
Nearly 87,000 non-domestic connections have outstanding principal dues exceeding Rs 2,068 crore, the minister added.