In a major reprieve for urban residents across Haryana, the state government on August 3 issued a notification waiving off “road-cut charges” for granting water and sewerage connections. The move is aimed at encouraging residents—particularly those in unauthorized or newly regularized colonies—to regularize their illegal connections without the fear of hefty penalties or restoration costs.
💧 The Policy Shift: Encouraging Compliance The Department of Urban Local Bodies (ULB) released the notification to streamline the connection process in all Municipal Corporations, Councils, and Committees.
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The Waiver: Previously, applicants had to pay substantial amounts (ranging from hundreds to thousands of rupees per meter) as “road-cut charges” to repair the street after laying pipes. This charge has now been waived for domestic connections.
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Target Audience: The decision specifically targets households currently using illegal or “kundi” connections due to the high cost of formalization.
📝 Options for Consumers To further simplify the process, the notification reportedly offers flexible payment models for the connection fees (excluding the road-cut charge):
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Option A (Upfront): Consumers can pay a one-time connection fee (e.g., ₹1,000 for water, ₹500 for sewer) plus applicable taxes.
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Option B (Installments): For those unable to pay upfront, the government may allow a nominal monthly addition to the water bill (e.g., ₹10-50 extra per month) over a fixed period to cover the connection cost.
🏗️ Administrative Goals “The high cost of road restoration was a major deterrent for citizens wanting legal connections,” a senior ULB official explained. “By removing this barrier, we aim to bring lakhs of households into the formal billing net, which will ultimately boost municipal revenue and reduce water wastage.”
The notification comes into immediate effect, with instructions sent to authorities in Gurugram, Faridabad, and other major cities to halt the collection of road-cut fees for eligible domestic applicants.
