Delhi Jal Board Spends Less Than 60% of ₹9,000 Crore Budget; Funds Likely to Be Cut Next Fiscal

New Delhi, Feb 4: The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has spent less than 60 percent of its ₹9,000 crore allocation for the 2025–26 financial year even after 10 months, raising the possibility of a budget cut in the coming fiscal year.

According to officials, the revised expenditure is estimated at only 50–55 percent of the total allocation, meaning a substantial portion of the funds may have to be surrendered. The underutilization has prompted concerns over delays in key water and sewer infrastructure projects.

Senior DJB officials said the budget included ₹250 crore for replacing old sewer lines, another ₹250 crore for upgrading supply lines from water treatment plants, and ₹50 crore for repairs to a branch of the Munak Canal. A major ₹200 crore project to lay a pipeline from Haryana to Delhi has also failed to take off.

Despite the large allocation, progress on these projects has remained slow, contributing to the low expenditure rate.

Meanwhile, the Public Works Department (PWD) is expected to see an increase in funding in the next financial year, as several large road development and infrastructure projects are scheduled to begin. The PWD’s total budget for the current fiscal stands at ₹3,843 crore, lower than last year’s allocation.

Officials said the expanded Barapullah Phase-III project — whose cost has risen from ₹1,300 crore to ₹1,635 crore — has been included in the proposed outlay. Other planned projects include a ₹371 crore flyover near Modi Mill and Savitri Cinema, ₹387 crore for a drainage system along MB Road, and ₹212 crore for a mini secretariat in Dwarka Sector 10. Proposals for nearly 60 foot overbridges are also under consideration.