No water but listed as JJM beneficiaries!
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 29 2024: Villagers from different districts have raised complaints about being falsely listed as beneficiaries in the Jal Jeevan Mission dashboard without any functional tap connections in their homes.

Recently, in two separate instances, residents of Paorei and Varangalai hamlets and Kachai village in Ukhrul district also made the same complaint.

Environmental activist Ram Wangkheirakpam addressed a press conference in this connection at the Indigenous Perspectives office at Chingmeirong Maning Leikai, accompanied by the complainants from Kachai, Maram Khullen Mathak Sagai, Maram Khullen Khullakpa Sagai, Maram Makha Sagai, Laphupat, Nungba, Phubala, Narum and Khoibu village today.

According to the villagers, the current state of JJM projects in their respective villages is disgraceful.

They stated that the villages either have no household tap water connections or a few connections at most for namesake.

However, many households without tap connections have falsely been listed as beneficiaries in the JJM dashboard with the claim that water is now accessible to a majority of the villages.

Stating that they cannot accept such fabricated information, the villagers urged the relevant authority to address the glaring discrepancy and take appropriate action.

Notably, a complaint in this regard was also filed with the Manipur Human Rights Commission and a hearing was conducted today.

Addressing the media, a villager from Maram claimed that people in his village have been listed as beneficiaries in the JJM dashboard while in reality the water pipes have not even been properly laid.

Highlighting the shortage of water faced by the villagers, he shared that the women wake up before the crack of dawn and travel 4/5 km to fetch water while equipped with a torch light.

Meanwhile Ram Wangkheirakpam said that while the issue of water shortage is prevalent in both the hills and the valley, the problem is greatly exacerbated in the hills.

Maintaining that people with low paying jobs are spending a large chunk of their earnings in purchasing water, he slammed the State Government for failing to take up sincere initiatives to provide access to clean water to the public under JJM.

Without proper laying of water pipes and no tap water connection in a majority of the households, completion reports have been sent claiming completion of 80% to 100% of the JJM projects, he said.

Despite huge sums being sanctioned by the Centre to the State for the Jal Jeevan Mission, false figures are displayed in the JJM dashboard which are far from the reality on ground.

He urged the authority concerned to address the villagers' complaint swiftly.

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