SHILLONG, Oct 26: PHE Minister Renikton Lyngdoh Tongkhar on Wednesday said he will inquire into the allegations of “false reports” produced by the authorities with regard to the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission at Rongjeng village in East Garo Hills.
“I am not aware of such reports but I will inquire into the matter and will seek a report from the authorities implementing this project in East Garo Hills,” Tongkhar told The Shillong Times.
As per the villagers, a project under JJM was sanctioned for the village for an amount of close to Rs 41 lakh and was apparently completed by the contractor, identified as one Sahidur Rehman, this year. However, since the apparent ‘completion’ not only have the villagers failed to get a single drop of water but many households (more than half) were without even a connection.
The villagers claimed that they were not only robbed of drinking water but the overseer of the PHE department tricked them to show that the project had been completed.
Asked about the reason behind a single contractor getting all the projects in most parts of the Garo Hills region, Tongkhar denied the same and stated that while small projects are being implemented by the local contractors, for major ones only those contactors and companies who fit the criteria are eligible to implement the project.
On the progress of the implementation of JJM in the state, Tongkhar said the percentage has improved by a small margin. “We expect the work to progress at a faster pace in the months to come due to the favourable weather,” he added.
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