Key Points

The monthly user charge, at the rate of Rs 50-200 depending on the size of the property, was proposed to be collected at the time of payment of annual property tax. Making the announcement of dropping the proposal, in the presence of Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva, Mayor Singh said the proposal was part of the budget 2025–26 passed during the Aam Aadmi Party’s governance in the civic agency.

“The rollback was announced after discussions with various RWAs and the civil society, and in view of a request from Sachdeva,” said Singh. The Mayor also announced a House Tax Amnesty Scheme where residents only need to pay property tax for the last five years, with no interest or penalties.

Delhi BJP Media Head Praveen Shankar Kapoor also presented a summary of objections that citizens’ organisations regarding the User Charge sent to BJP State President Sachdeva, Mayor Sardar Raja Iqbal Singh, Deputy Mayor Jay Bhagwan Yadav, Zonal Chairpersons Yogesh Verma and Sandeep Kapoor, Councillor Sharad Kapoor, Delhi BJP’s RWA Cell Convenor Shivani Ahuja and State Spokesperson Shubhendu Shekhar Awasthi. He suggested that payment of Property Tax and User Surcharge be separated, to which the Mayor gave his consent.

Representatives of various RWAs and organisations - Suresh Bindal, Atul Goyal, Saurabh Gandhi, Rajeev Kakaria, Chetan Sharma, Amina Talwar, Savita Singh, and Mahendra Goyal - also submitted their objections and suggestions to Sachdeva and Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh.

Sachdeva said the ‘User Charge’ was imposed by the AAP without any consultation, which is the main reason for the public opposition. He added that many citizens, especially in low-income colonies, are struggling to pay their outstanding property taxes.

In this regard, representatives of various RWAs as well as trade and industrial bodies met him in recent days to register their objections, he said. Sachdeva stated that while citizens are willing to pay property tax, penalties, and additional charges have made it nearly impossible to do so for ordinary people. Therefore, the Mayor should provide them with an opportunity to settle dues without penalty, he said.

He added that the ‘User Charge’, imposed without consultation during the AAP’s term, was claimed to be under the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016. However, the proper procedures and formation of sanitation committees mandated under these rules were never followed.

Moreover, the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act of 1957 has no provision for this ‘User Charge’, making a legal framework necessary before imposing it, he said. Sachdeva mentioned that discussions with civil organisations revealed that while the Corporation failed to explain the basis of the ‘User Charge’, even colonies or group housing societies claiming zero waste generation were not spared from this charge.

On the other hand, there are colonies where the Corporation has yet to ensure proper sanitation services, yet the waste disposal charge was imposed.

Mayor Singh said that based on Tuesday’s RWA meeting, no additional ‘User Charge’ will be imposed for the year 2025-2026, as the Aam Aadmi Party had passed the bill in the civic House without any public consultation. He also mentioned that a private member resolution will be introduced in the Delhi Municipal Corporation meeting on Wednesday to ensure that no such charge is imposed in the future.

Some AAP functionaries claimed that the charges were based on the Central Government’s Solid Waste Management Bye-Laws, 2017, which were enforced through three separate gazette notifications - one for each erstwhile municipal corporation - and published by the Delhi Government on January 15, 2018. Even as the notification had been approved, the MCD had not collected the fee in the last seven years.

- IANS