Tura MDC and state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Bernard Marak has alleged that villagers in Garo Hills are forced to falsely sign off on Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) completion reports as part of a massive scam.
Bernard said that a close look has to be made into the implementation of the JJM at the village level.
“Villagers in Garo Hills are facing immense difficulty in availing proper drinkable water,” the MDC, an ardent critic of the state government, said today.
The JJM is a central government scheme, the implementation of which is seen to by the state. While the Meghalaya government continually harps on its successful implementation, detractors criticise it for alleged corruption and non-functionality.
“The JJM was supposed to provide drinkable running water to every household but most of the JJM works done are incomplete and stand as a scam in many villages as work done by the contractors are sub-standard with non-functional tanks and pipelines,” Marak said. “This is a scam made out of the crores of rupees sanctioned by the Centre as a scheme with a mission to provide drinkable water to every household.”
Right to Information (RTI) requests have been submitted in every district to try and ascertain the extent of the allegations. Villagers will also submit their complaints regarding the “anomalies”.
Marak added, “In most villages, the villagers were also forced to sign the completion report of the work done without the work being completed and the household connections not covering every family. Families did not receive drinkable running water, which has turned out to be a scam rather than a scheme.”
