While questions have been raised about how Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) implementation in Garo Hills has been a scam, PHE Minister Marcuise Marak today rubbished the allegations stating that JJM implementation has been very transparent and implemented successfully.
“How can it be termed as a scam? Implementation of JJM is very transparent and it’s reflected in the dashboard everyday and the method of payment is also very transparent,” Marak told media persons here today.
He explained that when making the payments, the third party clearance has to be given. According to him, the third party is an engineering group which is already empanelled by the Meghalaya government.
Stating that the third party visited every JJM project, Marak said that if the project is found functional the third party gives a green signal for payment of the bills to the contractors.
“So how can it be termed a scam? The projects are completing successfully apart from few of which have been noted and taken under retrofitting and will be rectified,” Marak said.
Asked about the demand for an independent inquiry into the JJM implementation in Garo Hills, Marak said that there are over 4,000 projects.
“They can mention which particular project needs to be inquired. Let them come forward to me and let them tell me which particular project is failing and which one is a scam,” he said.
The PHE minister also said that the department is ready for departmental inquiry of any project before going for third party inquiry.
He also added that the PHE Department received complaints for two projects, one of which is in the border with Assam and which was interfered with by Assam.
“I’ve instructed my commissioner and secretary to get in touch with the deputy commissioner concerned, who will then take up the issues with the counterpart in Assam,” Marak added.
As for the second complaint, he said that the matter was raised by the local MLA who complained that the contractor had abandoned the work. “I’ve asked the department to inquire and if found true we will give the contractor a notice and cancel the work,” Marak said.
He also said that the department has looked into the issues raised in the Assembly by several legislators about the irregularities in the implementation of JJM.
“I have directed the officers to look into the matter and we will be reviewing all of those once the model code of conduct is lifted,” the minister said.
It may be mentioned that the Government of India had set a target that every household will have tap water by March 31, 2024. However, Meghalaya could not reach the target set by the Centre.
According to Marak, the department has sought more time from the Central government to complete the JJM implementation by August 2024.
He mentioned that some of the projects remain uncompleted till date because of reasons like land, issues with Nokmas and contractors abandoning the work.
The minister also cited that certain delays were due to the lack of cooperation of the community and it took time to convince the community before the project could start.
