SHILLONG, March 15: Public Health Engineering (PHE) Minister, Renikton Lyngdoh Tongkhar, on Monday said Meghalaya would be able to achieve its target of providing water to every rural household under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) before December 2022.
Replying to a short duration discussion raised by Rambrai-Jyrngam MLA Kimfa Marbaniang, the PHE minister said the state government has decentralised the system of procuring pipes.
Recalling that the state was purchasing pipes from only one firm, Tongkhar said the decentralisation decision was taken to ensure that the target is achieved before the deadline.
Several opposition MLAs had claimed that the government’s move to decentralise the procurement of pipes was creating problems for local contractors.
The minister also said contractors under JJM can procure pipes from the market on their own but they have to ensure that the quality is according to specifications.
Downplaying the fears that manpower shortage would affect JJM, Tongkhar said the department has recently appointed 45 junior engineers and would hire more people for the task.
He also assured that the department would test and ensure purified water is supplied to the people.
Earlier, the Opposition MLAs raised concern over several aspects of the JJM while asking the government to identify the sources from which water would be supplied to the people.
The Meghalaya government said it has achieved 34.59 per cent of its March 2021 target of providing functional household tap connections to every rural household in the state under JJM.