Allegations of corruption in Jal Jeevan Mission spark uproar in CG assembly; min vows action

Raipur: The Chhattisgarh Assembly experienced an uproar on Thursday regarding alleged discrepancies in the Jal Jeevan Mission. During question hour, ruling party MLA and former minister Ajay Chandrakar voiced concerns about ongoing work, alleging corruption. PWD minister Arun Sao provided assurance of strict action against contractors and others if irregularities were confirmed.

Chandrakar specifically enquired about villages where water infrastructure was constructed despite lacking water sources. He demanded village-specific details and questioned potential actions against those responsible for these irregularities.

The minister stated that contractors would receive only 70% payment until project completion. He guaranteed strict measures against officials who approved infrastructure in areas without water sources.

The Jal Jeevan Mission aims to establish tap connections in 50.03 lakh households across 19,656 villages. Currently, work status varies across 44.37 lakh households, with a completion deadline of 2024, the minister replied. The scheme has achieved 80.3% completion of domestic connections. Sao revealed that 653 villages without water sources and 3,254 villages with insufficient sources received infrastructure.

Sao confirmed completion in 5,291 villages. The Central Govt's extension of the Mission until 2028 provides additional implementation time.

Chandrakar highlighted the absence of water source provisions in the Detailed Project Reports for affected villages, describing it as 'horrible'. He advocated for strict action against responsible officers and contractors.

The Deputy Chief minister affirmed zero tolerance for irregularities, promising appropriate consequences. Sao confirmed utilisation of Rs 13,000 crore from the allocated Rs 26,000 crore budget.

Meanwhile, the opposition Congress staged a walkout in protest over unsatisfactory responses to MLA Savitri Manoj Mandavi's queries regarding Nal-Jal connections in Kanker's water-scarce villages.

Sao reported connections in 355 villages, water availability in 84 villages, and pending connections in 7 villages in the Assembly.

In subsequent media interactions, former Chief minister Bhupesh Baghel criticised the govt, stating, "The truth is that the situation across the state is dire. No work is being done under the Mission. MLAs are having to ask the same department questions three times over. Even ruling party MLAs are dissatisfied, which speaks volumes about the department's condition."

Baghel additionally noted, "The minister is coming to the Assembly without any preparation, which reflects his negligence towards the public."