GUWAHATI: A Trinamool Congress MLA has cited a “bogus” tap connection in his name to underscore the irregularities in the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in Meghalaya.
Mizanur Rahman Kazi, who represents the Rajabala Assembly constituency in the West Garo Hills district, said his inspection of an augmentation project exposed the government’s claim that the JJM schemewas doing very well in the State.
“The web portal displayed 100% completion of the project at Nekikona (village), but we found the progress was 15% at most,” he said.
“If that were not enough, a tap connection at my home in my name exists only on paper,” Mr. Kazi said, wondering how a central government scheme could be implemented shoddily.
“The JJM is not the only centrally-sponsored scheme to suffer in Meghalaya. There is a huge difference between the government’s claims and reality in the public distribution system, too,” he said.
The MLA demanded stern action against officials and implementing agencies involved in the JJM scheme.
The West Garo Hills district authorities said they were looking into the MLA’s allegations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the JJM in August 2019, promising to provide every rural household with a functional tap connection by 2024.
According to the JJM dashboard, 5,29,885 of the targeted 6,50,914 Meghalaya households have been provided with tap water connections since the scheme’s launch. The implementation rate is 81.98%.
The State government, headed by Conrad K. Sangma’s National People’s Party, has now set December 2025 as the final deadline. The Bharatiya Janata Party is a minor constituent of the government.
The dashboard also said 4,123 out of the targeted 6,456 villages have achieved 100% household tap connection, while water supply work is in progress in 2,322 villages.
Among Meghalaya’s 12 districts, South Garo Hills has recorded the highest progress with 90.82% of the households receiving tap water connections. East Jaintia Hills, the worst-performing district, has recorded 66.7% JJM connections so far.
