The State government has rejected allegations that there were serious irregularities in the implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in Meghalaya.
Senior BJP leader Bernard N. Marak had alleged that a manipulated and nonfactual report was submitted by the State government to the Centre regarding JJM implementation.
According to Marak, the data in the report falsely stated that 100 per cent Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTCs) were provided to houses in villages across the State despite the fact that on the ground, there are no pipe connections to houses, no tanks and no drinkable water.
However, Commissioner & Secretary of PHE Department Syed Md Andaleeb Razi in a statement issued today rejected the allegations.
“In regards to news items in certain sections of media where in it has been alleged that non-factual reports have been submitted to the Government of India regarding Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in Meghalaya, it is hereby clarified that all the data and reports related to JJM submitted by the Public Health Engineering Department are in public domain on the JJM-IMIS portal and can be independently verified. The Government of India also periodically verifies the data though independent third-party functionality assessments. However, the department would be in a better position to respond if the specific instance of misreporting of data is made,” Razi said.
He also stated that on August 15, 2019 when JJM was launched, only 4550 households in the State were being provided water through Functional Household Tap Connections. This number as of September 5, 2024 stands at 5,24,477.
“This project has been delivered at very high speed in a time bound manner and certain shortcomings are likely in a project of this size and scale. If specific issues are highlighted, the PHE Department takes immediate corrective measures to address the issue,” Razi added.
He also said that the PHE Department would spare no effort in implementing the JJM project “in the most efficient manner and it has been successful in doing so in the vast majority of the areas in the State”.
“If any problem occurs in the scheme the village residents can inform the officials of PHE Department Village Water and Sanitation Committees (VWSCs) of the village. The village residents also have the option of lodging their grievances through CM Connect and the PHE Department is committed to take necessary corrective action,” Razi said.
