Editor,
We the resident of Bholarbhita and adjoining areas under Phulbari sub-division of PHE Department of West Garo Hills would like to request the concerned authority through your esteemed column for immediate completion of Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTCs) under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).
There are several villages like Bangalkhata, Bholarbhita, Ghuner Gaon, Borshibanda, Lower Nalbari, Charbataprara and others which are yet to receive functional FHTCs. We are facing severe problems with potable water in our area due to heat waves as hand pumps are not working properly and well water is going down.
Since we are under flood-affected area and whenever floods, flash floods occur in our area we always face a crisis of fresh drinking water in our area. Also, it has been noticed in the past that during floods and flash floods we are always affected with different kinds of disease like diarrhoea, skin disease etc because of drinking unclean water.
In some villages, the FHTC pipeline connection is yet to be completed due to gross negligence which is unacceptable. The main pipeline has been laid by the banks of Rongai River which we fear may be easily washed away by flash flood.
The JJM connection work is being done very poorly by the contractors and it seems their goal is just to show up completion of water connection in order to withdraw the funds.
Therefore we request the State government and the concerned authority to visit the field very often to keep an eye on the implementation of JJM in our area.
We are suspecting some anomalies in the implementation of JJM project and in this matter we are going to constitute a village committee to file RTI application and immediately after getting RTI reports we will accordingly file a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before the honourable High Court to seek justice.
Residents of Bholarbhita
West Garo Hills
