PHE Minister Defends Jal Jeevan Mission Amid Opposition Criticism
Minister's Response to Allegations
Guwahati, June 10: On Monday, PHE Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah dismissed claims from the Opposition regarding the improper execution of the Jal Jeevan Mission in the state. He emphasized that the scheme's implementation is under thorough examination, involving multiple inspection layers, including third-party evaluations, to ensure its effectiveness.
According to Mallabaruah, the state has initiated 27,596 projects under the Mission, with 18,498 already completed. Out of these, approximately 17,230 have been transferred to user committees. Currently, 13,767 of these projects are fully operational, representing 74% of the completed initiatives. Additionally, 1,104 are partially functional, while 2,347 are non-operational.
The Minister assured that transparency is a priority in monitoring these projects, with real-time data accessible via a dedicated portal.
He noted that the state government has encouraged legislators to adopt at least one project for proper maintenance, but only 92 MLAs have participated in this initiative.
Mallabaruah explained that a standstill period was declared by the PHE department last October, as the Mission was initially set to conclude in December 2024. However, the central government later extended the deadline to 2028.
During the standstill, the government allocated Rs 3,000 crore, with pending bills amounting to Rs 2,500 crore still in process. The Minister stated that funds would be disbursed to contractors once the central government releases them.
He mentioned that an inspection by IIT Madras praised the scheme's implementation in the state.
Addressing minor issues affecting the schemes' functionality, the Minister proposed an all-party delegation to visit completed projects and announced a new initiative called Jalutsav, set for October-November, to evaluate the schemes' performance.
During the assembly session, Opposition members, including Bhaskar Jyoti Baruah, Zakir Hussain Sikdar, Manoranjan Talukdar, Akhil Gogoi, and Ashraful Hussain, criticized the government, claiming that the statistics regarding the Jal Jeevan Mission's implementation do not reflect the actual situation on the ground. They accused the government of poor planning and execution, as well as the use of substandard materials by contractors, which has led to many projects being non-functional.