Chandel, Manipur: Grave accusations have surfaced concerning the implementation of the ambitious Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in Manipur’s Chandel district, with local civil society organisations terming it a “paper scam” allegedly orchestrated by the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), Chandel division. Calls for an immediate and thorough probe have been made to both state and central authorities.
Addressing a press conference held at the Manipur Press Club, Singul Larson Anal, president of the Anal Lenruwl Tangpi (ALT) Maha Area, minced no words, asserting that the crucial rural water supply scheme has unequivocally faltered in the district. This claim starkly contrasts with official pronouncements of over 90 per cent completion.
Evidence obtained via a Right to Information (RTI) query revealed PHED Chandel’s declaration of 92 per cent project completion for JJM. However, when pressed for granular, household-level tap water connection data, officials redirected applicants to the JJM online dashboard – a move now under scrutiny.
A striking instance highlighted was that of Lenruwl village, which the dashboard astonishingly lists as 97.30 per cent complete. Larson vehemently challenged this figure, stating unequivocally that not a single household in the village has received a functional tap water connection. He asserted, “The actual work done is not even 60 per cent,” adding that a rudimentary field inspection would readily expose the glaring disparity.
Further, Larson alleged that similar misreporting plagues numerous other villages, including Lambung and Chandel Christian. These civil bodies contend that inflated completion percentages have been deliberately reported to create a false impression of progress, thereby fuelling serious apprehension about data manipulation and the potential misappropriation of public funds.
The JJM scheme, designed to deliver tap water to every rural household by 2024, was inaugurated in Chandel district with considerable fanfare by then-Chief Minister N Biren Singh. Despite the initial grand pronouncements, residents lament that the ground reality remains grim, with little to no tangible change.
Local organisations are now united in their demand for a comprehensive investigation and stringent accountability from the officials tasked with the implementation and oversight of this critical welfare scheme.
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