Corruption in the Jal Jeevan Mission Project in Barak Valley’s Badarpur Masimpur

People are forced to drink water from rivers, ponds, and drains, while the indifferent Silchar Division One office authorities remain silent.

Barakoutlet, Silchar, January 19: The Jal Jeevan Mission, a dream project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has faced a significant setback. Despite similar reports emerging from various parts of the state, the state government remains mysteriously silent—this is the allegation from the general public. The ambitious project, launched with the slogan “Har Ghar Nal, Har Ghar Jal,” has faced severe corruption allegations across different locations in Assam. Parts of the state still have not received the benefits of the project, and in some areas, the construction work remains incomplete.

According to complaints, most areas in the Badarpur Masimpur GP in the Cachar district still do not have access to drinking water, even though the project was supposed to provide it. While contractors and departmental officers seem to have benefited, the common people have been left with little to no advantages from the allocated funds.

As per the information received, the Public Health Engineering Department’s (PHED) Silchar Division One office allocated ₹1.07 crore for the repair and pipeline work of the Masimpur Bagicha water project in the Badarpur Masimpur GP in 2020-21. The signboard clearly stated that 170 families in the Masimpur Bagicha area would receive drinking water through the project. However, for the past several months, these 170 families have been deprived of drinking water. While the project did provide drinking water for a short period after it was initiated, water supply ceased when the pipelines stopped functioning. The local people have complained that low voltage power and unclean water tanks have caused the system to break down. As a result, they are again forced to rely on contaminated water from wells, ponds, rivers, and drains.

A local woman mentioned that due to the failure of the project for the past month, they have had no choice but to drink water from rivers, ponds, and drains. Many families in the area depend on the river and drains for water, and even the well water is muddy. They have to filter the water using cloth. The affected people have once again appealed to the authorities to repair the project.

Now, allegations of embezzlement regarding the ₹1.07 crore allocated for the Badarpur Masimpur GP’s Masimpur Bagicha WSS plant have surfaced. This project, under the PHED Division One, had been allocated the funds for renovation and pipeline work for over a year. However, for the past several months, the water supply has been cut off, causing immense hardship to the people. On Saturday, the local people, frustrated with the situation, raised their voices against the corruption in the plant. They accused the authorities of performing substandard work and failing to maintain the project. Despite informing the officials about the issue, no action was taken, leading the locals to approach the district administration for intervention. They have threatened to escalate the matter into a protest if the authorities fail to address the issue immediately.

The local people have also accused the officials at the Silchar Division One office of being indifferent to their plight. However, the response from the officials has not been recorded so far.

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