By Chandan Singh | Page 3 News Worldwide | New Delhi
New Delhi: Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday announced a major overhaul of Delhi’s water and sewer Infrastructure Charges (IFC) policy, shifting the calculation system from area-based assessments to actual water demand in a move aimed at reducing financial burden on residents and boosting transparency.
Under the revised policy, IFC will now apply only to new constructions or additional construction on existing properties, while redevelopment projects with no increase in water demand will remain exempt. Non-FAR areas, open spaces and uncovered portions will also be excluded from IFC calculations.
Addressing a press conference at the Delhi Secretariat, the Chief Minister said the reforms are intended to simplify the system, reduce arbitrary recoveries and make infrastructure charges more citizen-friendly.
The government also announced substantial concessions across categories. Properties in E and F category colonies will receive a 50% concession, while residents in G and H category colonies will be eligible for relief of up to 70%. Residential units of up to 50 square metres built on plots larger than 200 square metres will get an additional 50% concession. Religious and charitable institutions registered under Section 12AB will also receive similar relief.
In a push for sustainable infrastructure, institutions and commercial establishments operating Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD)-based Sewage Treatment Plants compliant with CPCB and DPCC norms will receive up to 50% concession in sewer IFC. However, the government warned that concessions would be withdrawn and penalties imposed if the systems are found non-functional during inspections.
Water Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh said the previous IFC framework had become “a tool of harassment”, alleging that complex area-based calculations had sharply increased charges for homeowners. He claimed that fees running into ₹15-20 lakh under the old system could now reduce to nearly ₹2-3 lakh under the revised policy.
The Delhi government said plots up to 200 square metres will continue to remain exempt from IFC charges and that official records alone would be accepted for assessments, eliminating repeated measurements and reducing scope for corruption.
