By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Feb 22: The Congress MLAs on Thursday punched holes in the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in the state and demanded the constitution of an inquiry commission to look into its implementation through a resolution.
Congress’ Umsning MLA Celestine Lyngdoh moved the resolution in the Assembly to constitute an inquiry commission to study the manner in which JJM is being implemented in the state.
“The subject and topic of JJM has been discussed time and again and I believe all the members in the House will be able to feel different experiences in relation to their respective constituencies. When I say experiences, I mean some of the experiences are unpleasant when it comes to the standard of the implementation of JJM,” Lyngdoh said.
“I say it because there are a lot of disparity and gaps between government records and ground reality. Even in my constituency, it was not properly implemented but the contractors received the complete bill. That pains me a lot,” he added.
Reminding that North Shillong legislator Adelbert Nongrum had also brought a short duration discussion in the House on the same topic two days ago, Lyngdoh said, “The JJM scheme in Meghalaya runs into hundreds of crores of rupees and as legislators, we expect its implementation, if not a 100 per cent, upto a satisfactory mark”.
Stating that the frustration of people in many villages is increasing by the day and the NGOs are angry so much that they have approached the Lokayukta, he cited a report of the Lokayukta, which was published in The Shillong Times under the headline ‘Lokayukta orders investigation into Nekikona JJM schemes’, and asked if all the villagers should go through the Lokayukta for redressal of their grievances.
Asking if the Lokayukta is the only platform to rectify the lapses in JJM schemes, he said, “If that is the case, this august House is doing disservice if it cannot rectify the defects in JJM. It is the duty of the House to set up a mechanism for proper implementation.”
Lyngdoh said when he was going through the mission documents of JJM, he came across a catchy abbreviation ‘FHTC’ (Functional Household Tap Connection). He said it means water should trickle down when one will open the tap but it is missing.
He said there are many instances where villages were connected with plastic pipes and the sad part is that those plastic pipes were left overground which burns more during jungle fire. In this regard, he questioned the sustainability factor in JJM.
Lyngdoh said most of them would like to be a part of the team that carries out inspection. Lamenting alleged sidelining of the Mawlai MLA on JJM review, he asked if they afraid the MLA will demand proper implementation.
“Mawlai MLA was sidelined and tomorrow or day after tomorrow, it could be my turn. This should not be done,” he added.
Stating that there is a mechanism to assess the quality of work called social audit mechanism in MGNREGA, he said, “Unless we have an independent inquiry commission, we will not be able to know the exact ground realities of JJM in different parts of the state.”
The MLA said there are pipes and taps at the place where he stays but no water. He said he can name many such villages.
“Should this House turn a blind eye to the disgraceful implementation of the JJM scheme? Are we not elected to respond to the aspirations of the people? Is it not the duty of each and every member of the House to ensure that the schemes are fully implemented?” Lyngdoh asked.
Leader of Opposition and Congress’ Mylliem MLA Ronnie V Lyngdoh backed the demand for the constitution of an independent inquiry commission.
He said JJM was conceived to supply water to each and every household. He asked the state government to make an appeal to the Centre to extend this programme. He said during his discussions with PHE engineers, he learnt that no efforts were being made to augment the supply of water.
He said the beneficiaries will not get 55 litres per head per day as specified in the JJM guidelines.
“I appeal to the government to constitute an inquiry commission to look into this aspect also. Otherwise, it will be a waste of huge investment,” he said.
Pointing out that borewells are being dug, he asked how much water can be drawn out without a consistent source. He stressed that such activities should be done during the lean periods to ensure that the discharge of water is sufficient to meet the requirements of people.
“What if the borewell dries up? How can you ensure that the amount of water required can be pumped up from those borewells?” he further asked and sought a review.