India, July 4 -- Delhi water minister Parvesh Verma on Thursday announced that the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has given in-principle approval to waive 100% of the late payment surcharge (LPSC) on all pending water bills for domestic and government users in the Capital.

Announcing the decision at a press conference following a DJB board meeting a day earlier, Verma said the amnesty scheme will offer financial relief to lakhs of households struggling with inflated bills. However, the waiver will not apply to commercial users.

The roll-out will take about two months, as DJB's revenue system needs major upgrades, said the minister. "DJB's billing software is Oracle-based and very old. If we insert the amnesty feature, it will crash. We are migra...