Village panchayats in Himachal Pradesh will now collect water bills from rural residents as user fees for drinking water schemes. The state government has announced a structured fee system with different rates for various categories of users.
Under the new policy, panchayat representatives will pay ₹100 per month, families above the poverty line (APL) will be charged between ₹50 to ₹100 monthly, while below poverty line (BPL) families will pay ₹25 per month. Commercial activities in rural areas will have to pay commercial rates for water usage.
The information was provided by the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister in a written reply to a question by Sulah MLA Vipin Singh Parmar. Village assemblies will approve these rates during gram sabha meetings.
The state government has assigned the responsibility of operating and maintaining drinking water schemes falling under their jurisdiction to village panchayats. These panchayats will use the funds collected through user fees to carry out maintenance work of drinking water schemes in their areas.
A standard operating procedure has been established for this purpose. The decision was taken after consultation with the Jal Shakti Department, keeping in view the guidelines of the Jal Jeevan Mission issued by the Government of India.
This move aims to ensure sustainable maintenance of rural water supply systems while involving local communities in the management of their water resources. The fee structure takes into account the economic capacity of different user categories, with subsidized rates for BPL families and higher charges for commercial users.
