Kullu boils over water bills: Locals hit by retrospective tariffs

Residents across Kullu district continue to face steep water bills with no immediate relief in sight, despite widespread protests and repeated assurances from MLA Sunder Singh Thakur that he has raised the issue with the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister. Public anger has only grown as households struggle with unexpectedly high charges issued nearly nine months after the consumption period.

The controversy began with bills distributed in July 2025 to more than 6,000 consumers in Kullu, Manali, Bhunter and Banjar. These bills were calculated using revised tariffs notified on September 21, 2024, but applied retroactively to the months of October, November and December 2024. The Jal Shakti Department has attributed the delay to the time taken to roll out the new slab-based tariff system, explaining that the bills were generated on the basis of average consumption for those three months.

Under the revised tariff structure, water rates have increased sharply. Consumption up to 20 kilolitres, earlier charged at Rs 13.86 per kilolitre, now costs Rs 19.30. The 20-30 kilolitre slab is priced at Rs 33.28 per kilolitre, while usage above 30 kilolitres is billed at a steep Rs 59.90 per kilolitre. On top of this, sewerage charges amounting to 30 per cent of the bill are also levied. For a family using 20,000 litres per month, the bill now touches Rs 540, excluding the higher slabs that significantly impact larger households.

Joint families and homes sharing a single water meter have been hit particularly hard. One consumer reported his bill skyrocketing from Rs 1,295 to an alarming Rs 13,678 for three months. Many argue that backdated hikes deny them the ability to plan their budgets, especially when the revised rates were never communicated in advance.

Public resentment has spilled onto the streets. In Manali, women burned copies of the bills during protests, while in Kullu the municipal council and several social organisations have formally demanded a rollback of both the revised rates and the retrospective billing.

While officials maintain that the new tariffs aim to promote water conservation and curb wastage, residents counter that administrative delays should not be passed on to consumers. They insist that either the retrospective component must be scrapped or old rates applied until the date the new bills were issued.

MLA Sunder Singh Thakur has said he has approached the CM and Deputy CM seeking special consideration for Kullu, where water supply is primarily gravity-driven and therefore cheaper to operate. However, no official relief has been announced so far, leaving residents increasingly frustrated. “We cannot survive on assurances alone,” a protester said. “We need concrete action.”