Consumers are facing distress after the Himachal Pradesh Jal Shakti Department issued hefty water bills following a long gap. Residents of Solan city state that water bills had not been received regularly for about a year-and-a-half, and the department has now issued bills covering the period from May 2024 to March 2026 all at once. The deadline for payment has been set for September 30, 2026.
**Bills ranging from ₹10,000 to ₹15,000**
According to residents, many consumers have received water bills amounting to between ₹10,000 and ₹15,000. Meanwhile, one consumer reported over the phone that he had been issued a bill of approximately ₹26,000. Receiving such large bills has caused anxiety regarding how to make the payment. There is widespread resentment among the public. Consumers—including Sushil Kumar, Aman Sharma, Madhu Kanwar, Sarita Devi, and others—say that meeting daily family needs is already a challenge. Amidst household expenses, children’s school fees, medical costs, and other essentials, paying a water bill of thousands of rupees all at once is not easy.
People are questioning how it is fair for the department to recover such a large lump sum from consumers now, after failing to issue bills for a year-and-a-half.
**Why should the public bear the brunt of the delay?**
Kanwar Manohar Singh, President of the Vikas Mohalla Kalyan Samiti, has urged the government and the concerned department to take cognizance of the matter. He stated that the general public should not have to suffer the consequences of the department’s delay. He demanded that consumers be allowed to pay these hefty bills in installments rather than as a lump sum, so that families do not face a sudden financial burden.
