The party says recurring discrepancies across districts suggest possible large-scale misuse of public funds and lack of accountability
NEW DELHI — The Congress on Wednesday alleged that a multi-crore scandal to the tune of several hundred crores has taken place in Manipur under the Jal Jeevan Mission and demanded a court-monitored probe into the scam.
Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here, party MP from Manipur Dr Angomcha Bimol Akoijam revealed that while the Jal Shakti Ministry data claims that potable water has been provided to about 80% rural households in the state, there is nothing on the ground.
Dr Akoijam disclosed that he had tried to cross-check and verify the claims made in the government records by visiting many villages. To his shock and surprise, he discovered serious discrepancies between official claims and ground reality. Even the pipes had not been laid, he said, adding that it was only after he raised the matter that the administration started laying out the pipes.
This, he pointed out, contradicts the government’s own claims: On the one hand, it asserts that the work has been completed and tap water has been provided to the people, while in reality, the pipe-laying has only just begun.
Dr Akoijam said it was unfortunate that the state had been looted at a time when it was going through a tragic phase, with violence taking place everywhere.
Giving details of the villages he visited, he revealed that in every village, not a single household reported having a functional tap water supply, starkly contradicting the official claims.
He noted that it points to a “systemic issue of data manipulation and fund misappropriation under the Jal Jeevan Mission in Manipur.”
The senior Congress leader said that even before his visits to various villages, numerous complaints from different districts had highlighted similar irregularities. He observed that these recurring discrepancies across districts suggest possible large-scale misuse of public funds, lack of accountability, and failure in monitoring mechanisms by implementing agencies.
Dr Akoijam said he has filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Manipur High Court, seeking a court-monitored investigation into the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission in the state.
He said the PIL has sought a comprehensive audit of funds sanctioned and utilised under JJM, district-wise; verification of household water connection claims made by the government; and recognition of access to safe drinking water as part of the fundamental Right to Life under Article 21 of the Constitution, with a minimum guarantee of two hours of daily tap water supply per household across the state.
