Delhi govt may seal buildings where previous water and sewer infrastructure charges not given

New Delhi, Jul 15 (PTI) The Delhi government may seal buildings where previous Delhi Jal Board (DJB's) water and sewer infrastructure charges (IFC) have not been submitted, Water Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh said on Wednesday. Earlier this year, the government reduced and simplified the IFC structure of the DJB to relieve residents, housing units, institutions and industries. "As per our internal preliminary enquiry, we found that in several cases of big group housing societies, the IFC charges were not given, and the building constructed. There seems to be some collusion between builders and DJB officials. We will not only penalise but also seal the building where the charges have not been given," Singh said. The DJB's IFC charges are levied on properties for new constructions and additions on plots above 200 sqm. The DJB must collect these charges before construction work on water and sewerage infrastructure begins. "We have asked the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to provide us with data of all the building plans approved in the last five years, which we will match from our data where IFC charges have been given to DJB. Wherever we find there is a discrepancy, penalty will also be levied along with the principal amount," the water minister said. As per internal estimates, there are around 300 properties in the category of 3,000 sqm and above in the city, where zero IFC charges have been submitted, leading to a revenue loss of around Rs 2,000 crore for DJB. The water minister said the government has now completely overhauled the system and made the IFC process simple, transparent and fair. "Plots measuring up to 200 square metres will continue to remain exempt from charges, and there will be no scope for unnecessary measurements or harassment by officials. In many cases where people were previously compelled to pay as much as Rs 15-16 lakh under the old system, the amount has now been reduced to around Rs 2-3 lakh," he said. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had approved a revised and simplified infrastructure charge policy under which factories and industrial units have emerged as the biggest beneficiaries of the DJB's revised infrastructure charges, which substantially lower the upfront construction costs. PTI SSM ASD ASD