The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has begun issuing notices to commercial property owners with outstanding water bills exceeding ₹25 lakh, warning that properties could be attached and sealed if dues are not cleared by August 15, water minister Parvesh Verma said on Thursday.
Event Context
The move is part of the Delhi government’s drive to recover long-pending water bill arrears and comes ahead of the expiry of the DJB’s Late Payment Surcharge (LPSC) waiver scheme, which is currently available to both domestic and commercial consumers.
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Verma said the utility has identified around 1,125 commercial properties across the Capital where outstanding water bills have crossed ₹25 lakh.
The Delhi government introduced the LPSC waiver scheme last year for domestic consumers to encourage settlement of long-pending bills before extending it to commercial users. Under the scheme, consumers can pay the principal outstanding amount while receiving a waiver on the late payment surcharge. The scheme, which initially offered a full waiver if dues were cleared by January 31, 2026, has since been extended until August 15.
Match Outlook
“DJB has powers to attach and seal properties of water bill defaulters. Till now, we have identified 1,125 properties where water bill dues of ₹25 lakh or more have accumulated over the years. If they do not pay on time, their properties will be attached,” he said.
Verma said the government expects the scheme to substantially improve DJB’s revenue collection. “Commercial properties also have the facility to get a waiver under the LPSC scheme. The government is expecting satisfactory revenue from collecting these pending bills accumulated over the years,” he said.
Independent legal experts said the DJB has statutory powers to recover unpaid dues by attaching properties.
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Civil lawyer Manu Chaturvedi said municipal bodies can recover unpaid statutory dues by attaching properties where such powers are provided under law. “If there are similar powers in the Delhi Jal Board Act, the Board can also recover dues in a similar manner,” he said.
Legal analyst Nikhil Jain said Section 87 of the Delhi Jal Board Act empowers the utility to attach and sell movable or immovable property if dues remain unpaid despite the issuance of a demand notice.
Section 87 provides that if a person fails to pay outstanding dues within 30 days of receiving a demand notice, the amount can be recovered through the sale of movable assets or the attachment and sale of immovable property.
Verma reiterated that enforcement action would begin after the waiver scheme closes for consumers who continue to default.
“After the LPSC scheme’s deadline is over, people who do not pay their bills, we will take action against the defaulters,” he said.
Asked whether the waiver scheme would be extended beyond August 15, the minister said no decision had been taken.
The Delhi government has set a target of recovering around ₹5,000 crore in pending water bill dues through the initiative, while consumers are expected to receive relief of nearly ₹11,000 crore through the waiver of accumulated late payment surcharge.
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According to the minister, notices have already been issued to the identified defaulters, giving them until August 15 to either clear their dues or avail of the ongoing LPSC waiver scheme.
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