A group called Garo Hills Youth Solidarity (GHYS) has alleged that unknown persons have been appointed to the Village Water & Sanitation Committee of Jal Jeevan Mission at Dagal Apal in East Garo Hills district.
According to the group, the appointment was made by Williamnagar PHE officers, which is in contravention to the guidelines of the JJM project.
“The villagers of Dagal Apal are shocked to see from the JJM dashboard that VWSC members are not from Dagal Apal nor they are from the area. It is purely a manipulation of the villagers by the PHE officers of Williamnagar,” GHYS president Endick Marak said in a release today.
“It is oblivious that the Williamnagar PHE officers are greedy for the 5 per cent of the JJM fund which is meant for maintenance of the project by the committee once the JJM is totally handed over to the villagers,” he alleged.
Marak also said that the JJM project in Dagal Apal is stagnant with no progress. “Villagers are sure that even after completion of the project it will be useless as it is the indicator that even during the rainy season, when streams are flooded, there is no water flowing through the JJM tap,” he claimed.
The GHYC further urged authorities to ensure the project`s intended benefits to reach the targeted population without manipulation and to appoint locals as members of the committees and contractors to abide by the Detail Project Report of the project.
