Delhi Water Minister Parvesh Verma on Wednesday accused the previous government, which remained in power for a decade, of issuing inflated water bills worth lakhs to allegedly intimidate and threaten people. He claimed that even small houses built on plots measuring 25 to 100 square yards received exorbitant bills.

Speaking in the House on Wednesday regarding the water crisis and the issue of fake bills, Verma alleged that the previous ruling dispensation misled the people of Delhi with false promises.

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He said they assured citizens that all water bills would be waived upon coming to power, but instead, people were forced to pay hefty amounts.

He further alleged that residents were threatened that if the BJP government came to power, they would have to settle these inflated bills.

Addressing the issue of fake bills, Verma stated that he had discussed the matter with Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and assured that relief would soon be provided.

The minister also promised a resolution for concerns related to service charges, penalties, and interest, ensuring that no water connections would be cut until the problem was resolved.

Highlighting alleged scams in meter readings, Verma claimed that some meter readers were involved in corrupt practices, generating false readings and inflated bills.

He urged people not to settle for such unfair charges and encouraged them to come forward with complaints, assuring that their connections would not be disconnected and that corruption would be eliminated.

Verma also acknowledged complaints about meters running even when motors were not in use. He assured that all such defective meters would be replaced and proper investigations would be conducted.

The minister emphasized that providing adequate and clean water to the people remains a government priority. He added that a major announcement would soon be made to bring relief to those affected by fake billing.