Outcries over false JJM claims
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: April 28, 2025 -

AMID consistent assurances by government authorities to ensure tap water connectivity to every household in the state and claims that implementation of the central government-funded Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) has been making commendable progress, village authority of Rikhumai Taphou in Senapati district has categorically rubbished the official report on the PHED, Senapati Division website, regarding the completion of tap water connections under the JJM.

Launched in 2019 by the Ministry of Jal Shakti in sync with the restructuring of the National Rural Drinking Water Programme by the Narendra Modi government, JJM, among other provisions, aims to provide 55 litres of tap water to every rural household regularly by 2024.

Apart from the rural areas, launch of the JJM has brought marked change in many urban pockets in terms of tap water connectivity, regardless of the fact that water is supplied to the consumers after gap of 4-5 days, in sharp contrast to the project's vision for sufficient quantity of mankind's most essential requirement.

Sadly, due to apparent absence of coordination among the line departments, supply of tap water in densely populated Imphal East and West districts often get suspended for weeks and months due to excavation of roads and drains for repairing and renovation of basic infrastructures.

For instance, nearly half of the entire population in Thangmeiband assembly constituency, which is one the densest populated areas in the state, is bereft of tap water supply for over two months owing to re-construction of a comparatively small bridge in Khoyathong area, where head offices of both the PWD and the PHED are also located in a composite campus.

As such, voices of dissent raised by residents of the Rikhumai Taphou village not only underscore that execution part of the national project in the state is not only far from being satisfactory but also hint at inefficiency of officials overseeing the project and possible mismanagement of the fund earmarked or released by the ministry, all of which merit clarification by officials of the department concerned.

As pointed out by the village authorities in a statement issued to the media, the PHED website claims provision of tap water to 144 out of 150 households in the village, or 96 per cent completion rate.

However, the villagers categorically dismissed the report, citing absence of water pipeline connected to the incomplete reservoir built in the centre of the village, and stating that not a single household has been provided tap water connection to date.

The villagers' utter frustration or annoyance over both the alleged false claims on the PHED website and the failure to complete the project within the specified deadline is understandable for an Moll signed on September 10, 2024 regarding completion of the JJM project work, including laying of pipelines under the Augmentation of Rikhumai Taphou Water Supply Scheme, had set deadline for December 2024.

As per the deal signed, the village authority, according to chairman PH Fuvei, pledged full cooperation to facilitate execution of the project in the interest of the local community, whereas the project implementing agency is yet to initiate any work since signing of the agreement, which naturally arouses suspicion on official-contractor nexus in withdrawal of the fund without the actual completion of the project, a chronic problem in Manipur.