Allegations of a massive scam have surfaced regarding the implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) scheme across Manipur.
Village authority of Maram Khullen Khulakpa Sagai, Senapati district; Maram Khullen Mathak Sagai, Senapati district; Maram Makha Sagai, Senapati district; Kachai village, Ukhrul district; Narum village, Tengnoupal district; Khoibu village, Tengnoupal district; Nungba village, Noney district; Phubala village, Bishnupur district have reported specific instances of corruption by manipulating data of JJM in dashboard, misleading villagers and the ministry of JJM too.
Kachai Village Authority headman R Mingthing Shimray, while speaking to the media on Monday, said that according to JJM official website, in Kachai village there are 718 households and out of which 612 households (85.24 percent) have received functional household tap connections with JJM drinking water pipeline. Moreover, all seven schools and eleven anganwadi centres have been connected to tap water and availability of hand washing facilities as per the website data, he added.
However, while confirming, it was found that none of this is true as not a single household has received any functional household tap connection. Even the schools and anganwadi centres have not been connected with tap water under the JJM project, he claimed.
“One shocking incident is that, a deceased person was also found to have a tap water connection in the dashboard”, the headman said.
Similarly, at Narum village of Tengnoupal district, beneficiaries listed as connected with pipe water in the dashboard have no connection.
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“The website is a lie. Some activity was there in the past but they all left and there is a wayside banner put up in the village and it says the project completed on December 23, 2021 but none of us are connected with tape water”, said Shemson of Khoibu village authority.
Gaikhuanliu Gangmei of Nungba village of Noney district said that JJM is a grand plan and huge funds have been sanctioned in 90:10 funding patterns. The JJM website claims that 78.35 per cent of rural households in Manipur have been covered by the scheme since its inception.
However, the fact that the data given for his village is false, the claim that the most rural households have been connected is also false, he said.
In the dashboard, 401 households out 411 households (97.57 per cent) covered are already connected with pipe water but none of the households are connected, he claimed.
In Phubala of Bishnupur district, there are 250 households in the dashboard that are connected under JJM even though they are yet to be connected, said T Shamananda.
At Maram Khullen Khulakpa Sagai, it has listed that 556 households as population and out of it 472 households have been connected with pipe water. Additionally, the only school and 11 anganwadi centres have also been fitted with drinking pipe water. But in actuality, there is no such connection, said Pung Marius Kashing secretary of Maram Khullen Khulakpa Sagai village Authority.
Similarly, Maram Khullen Mathak Sagai and Maram Makha Sagai also claimed that not even a single household, school or anganwadi centres have been connected with pipe water.
The village authorities approach the Manipur Human Rights Commission to take stringent action against those officers and workers who have claimed that the mission is implemented despite the fact it is not implemented.
“There is an intentional manipulation of names as beneficiaries”, said the village authorities.
It should be mentioned that a similar case has been reported by the Imphal Free Press for Pumlenpat Khoidum Lamjao and Arong Nongmeikhong village.
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