TURA, July 20: Former MDC of Balachanda, Sofiur Rehman, has raised serious questions over the ongoing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) projects in the plain belt, pointing fingers at BAC Infratech—a Hyderabad-based company that he claimed was being unduly favoured.
In a press communiqué, Rehman said he had already submitted a complaint to the Jal Shakti Minister on the matter, highlighting various anomalies he stated were taking place in JJM schemes in the plain belt of West Garo Hills (WGH).
“As per government records, nearly ₹1000 crore has been sanctioned and spent under JJM in the plain belt. However, the actual physical progress is barely 20–30%, and most rural households still lack functional tap connections,” he stated.
He also claimed that in almost all projects, close to 90% of the bills have already been withdrawn by the contractor, despite the work remaining abandoned or incomplete.
Claiming false inputs were being made onto the national dashboard, Rehman said, “The JJM Dashboard is being updated with false data to create the illusion of progress. Villages that have not received any real water supply are listed as ‘covered’, which is a deliberate attempt to mislead the Central Government and the public.”
Rehman also claimed that BAC Infratech had been awarded most of the major projects in the plain belt but had failed to deliver on their contracts, either in terms of quality or timelines.
“The PHE department has given multiple deadline extensions, which appears to be a cover-up tactic to protect defaulting contractors, including BAC Infratech Pvt. Ltd., instead of holding them accountable. Further, pipes are lying dumped in several areas, never installed or tested. In some locations, villagers have not seen a drop of water despite being listed as JJM beneficiaries,” he claimed.
The former MDC alleged a nexus between the contractors and officials of the PHE, which he asserted was enabling the scam.
“Ghost beneficiaries, inflated bills, and manipulated records are being used to justify fund withdrawal. Despite raising these issues with the Deputy Commissioner and PHED multiple times, no real action has been taken. The public deserves accountability,” stated Rehman while demanding a CBI inquiry into the matter.
He felt there was a need to investigate several projects to verify the actual progress. These include the Greater Tikrikilla WSS, Rongsaigre WSS, Bikonggre WSS, Babilgre WSS, augmentation of Nekikona Combined WSS, Sakmal WSS, and Hallidaganj area projects.“There is a need for the immediate visit by the Union Minister or Central JJM officials to the affected sites, and a technical-cum-social audit is a must.
Those behind the mess need to be held accountable and legal action taken against officials, while defaulting contractors need to be blacklisted,” felt Rehman.
BAC Infratech clarifies
Meanwhile, company officials from BAC clarified that progress on their projects was being delayed due to on-ground issues at various sites.
“We cannot renege on the projects, and our team is working tirelessly to ensure timely completion. However, when laying major pipes, many of our requests to the PWD and other line departments are delayed, causing an overall delay. We are working with all to ensure every household gets water soon,” said a company source.
The company added that in the Nekikona WSS alone, 100 civil works had been completed, with another 75% of FHTC work done. The project, as per the company, is targeted for completion by December 2025, but due to delays in permissions from the PWD, the project would be further delayed.
“We are yet to receive road crossing permissions from the PWD at six locations under the Nekikona WSS. Unless we are able to get these, we will not be able to commission the project and provide water to households despite providing FHTCs to more than 3,000 households,” the company source added.
