The Delhi government is preparing to approach the electricity regulator for roping in the private power distribution companies to collect an environment charge from consumers for reviving the Yamuna.
The Arvind Kejriwal government has announced its plan to collect the environmental compensation – ranging between Rs 600 and Rs 100 a month – from residents, including those living in unauthorised colonies, for cleaning the river.
“The process has been initiated. The charge will be collected from this month,” said a power department official, adding that the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission was being approached for issuing directions to discoms.
“We have not got any directions from either the government or the DERC,” said an official of a discom.
The money will be collected by the discom and transferred to the Delhi government later. The environmental compensation fund will be used to set up new sewage treatment plants and introduce new technology to clean the Yamuna.
A government official said there was some initial resistance within the discoms to the idea of collecting the charge, but the things would soon be ironed out.
Sources in DERC said the regulator would act promptly once the government sends a request for issuing directions to the discoms.
“The discoms would have no choice but to collect the charge once the government approaches the DERC and a direction is issued to the power companies,” said a functionary.
A Delhi government official said the decision was taken in August.
Compensation
The new charge – to be reflected in the power bills from October – is likely to double the monthly payment made by residents in jhuggi dwellers. The slum dweller, who currently pays Rs 100 monthly power bill, would now have to pay an additional Rs 100 as environmental compensation.
According to the proposal prepared by Power Minister Satyendra Jain, the power companies will collect Rs 600 a month as environmental compensation from upscale colonies which come under the civic agency-notified Category A and B colonies.
Residents in Category C and D colonies will be charged Rs 200 every month as environmental compensation charge.
‘Clean up pollution’
The National Green Tribunal in May ordered that every household in Delhi must pay a monthly environmental compensation to clean up pollution in the Yamuna river.
The tribunal gave the direction while hearing a petition filed by environmental activist Manoj Misra.
The tribunal ordered that the compensation will be paid by a particular household and will be directly proportional to the property tax or water tax, whichever is higher.
In the case of houses in unauthorised colonies, which do not pay property tax or water bill, the environmental compensation amount would range from Rs 100 to 500.
The NGT proposed that the environmental compensation amount could be added to electricity bill, water bill or the property tax by the respective departments which will later transfer the money to Delhi government.
After deliberations, the Kejriwal government narrowed down on power bills as the best means to collect the environmental compensation.
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