”I don’t want anything from the government. I just want water supplied to every family as per the JJM scheme. If even one family is left without water, the mission has failed. We don’t want ministers and contractors making money while leaving innocent
villagers without water”
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Sep 6: As the bad blood between the state government and the state BJP over the issue of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) implementation in Meghalaya continues to be writ large, the latter has now warned of legal action against the former if it continued to cover up the discrepancies and submit false completion reports to the Centre.
“I can drag them to court because they are providing false reports to the Centre. When there are no water or pipe connections, how can they claim 100 per cent functional household connections under Har Ghar Jal?” said state BJP vice president Bernard N Marak.
His response came after the Public Health Engineering (PHE) department issued a clarification regarding the alleged poor implementation of the project, which had been flagged by the BJP.
“They have submitted a report to the Centre, but we have detailed information on the villages, especially in Garo Hills. South and East Garo Hills are the worst. We will ensure this information reaches the Centre, as people are complaining,” a displeased Marak added.
“Without tanks, pipe connections or water, how can they submit a completion report? They are blaming the village water and sanitation committees, called Jal Samiti, for the discrepancies. Many villagers don’t even know they are listed as members of these committees,” he continued.
Referring to the possibility of legal action, Marak said, “It won’t just be me filing a complaint. Even the villagers, whose names have been added to these committees without their knowledge, will approach the court. The innocent villagers are being dragged into the scam where the minister, the government department, and the contractors are benefitting from.”
In response to the PHE department’s clarification, the BJP vice president said, “They are merely covering up. I will invite the officer who issued the clarification to visit Garo Hills and let the people judge for themselves.”
Addressing the third-party verification mentioned in the clarification, he questioned, “Who is this third party? They’re sitting in Guwahati, making reports based on signboards claiming project completion. But if you go deeper into the villages, there’s no water, no tanks, and no connections.”
“This is not a blame game. We are working at the grassroots level, and when villagers complain, we investigate. The Prime Minister promised drinking water, and if it’s not delivered, it’s a failure,” he asserted.
Marak also maintained that he wants that the potable water supply, as promised under the JJM scheme, be provided to every household in Meghalaya.
“I don’t want anything from the government. I just want water supplied to every family as per the JJM scheme. If even one family is left without water, the mission has failed. We don’t want ministers and contractors making money while leaving innocent villagers without water,” the state BJP vice president said.