Year after Congress won its third term, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit talks of improving basic services — water, power, housing

Exactly a year after pulling off a third consecutive victory in the Delhi Assembly, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has laid down the options on the table: “If you want better services, be prepared to pay for them.”

After increasing fares for the Delhi Metro and bus transport on grounds of providing an improved public transport system, Dikshit said the tariff for water will be hiked and cleared within the next week.

“We have finalised the details and it will be cleared by the Board within a week,” the chief minister told Newsline during an interview on Sunday. “There is practically no billing on water consumption in this city,” said Dikshit, who also chairs the Delhi Jal Board (DJB). “My priority is to resolve the city's water woes in the next couple of years and this is a step in the direction.”

With the current subsidised rates, consumers are not charged for the initial 6,000 litres per month. This means 200 litres of water is provided free each day. The DJB now proposes to change this policy, which accounts for 12 per cent of financial losses incurred by the agency.

“During our Bhagidari workshops held with Residents’ Welfare Associations every few months, we realised that most complaints generally pertain to water and sanitation,” she said. “Complaints regarding water usually involve lack of supply during the peak summer months and contamination due to pipe leakage. We are in the process of re-laying pipes in some older parts of Delhi, but we will also have to shell out more money for better services.”

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