Consumers will no longer have to wait endlessly to know the status of their applications for a new water connection as the Delhi Jal Board has decided to implement the Delhi (Right of Citizen to Time Bound Delivery of Services) Act, 2011, (Delhi Act 07 of 2011) for ensuring time-bound delivery of its services.
Consumers seeking a new water connection will now be able to get update on their application online till the service is provided.
As per the Act, all services have to be delivered in a time-bound manner, failing which the consumers can seek redressal and a penalty in the range of Rs.10 to Rs.200 a day can be levied against the officials responsible.
The service is already available in a large number of government departments including revenue, food and civil supplies, transport and trade and taxes and civic agencies.
The DJB has also simplified the process of sanctioning new domestic water connections by allowing disposal of cases at the zonal revenue officer's level instead of the zonal engineer's office, reducing the time spent on “movement of files within the office of the DJB,” said the official.
“Applications for new water connections except application for bulk water connections and commercial water connection will be received in office of the zonal revenue officer and would be finalised there without any movement of files. Area technical feasibility report will be furnished by each executive engineer to the ZRO on regular basis,” said the official, referring to the change in procedure.
Each executive engineer will have to inform the ZRO of the areas where fresh water connections cannot be provided. Officials after checking the application for a new connection will have to acknowledge the application and issue a unique eSLA number to the applicant on the same day. The ZRO will have to register and update electronically the status of the application on a daily basis and post it electronically on the website.
In the zonal revenue office, the concerned officials will have to submit existing dues of water and sewer charges and development charges etc. on existing water connections, cut off water connections, unauthorised water connections within five days. A field inspection report will have to be submitted within five days to the ZRO.
“Based on the material and facts, the ZRO will have to communicate the information on grating or refusal of the connection to the consumer in writing, within a period of 15 days of receipt of the application. In case the water connection is sanctioned, the decision of the ZRO will be communicated to the consumer along with water bill for new water connection,” said the official.
