Babar Rather
Bandipora, Jul 14 : Locals from Tangbathoo area of Ajas tehsil in Bandipora district have raised serious allegations of favoritism in the ground-level implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) scheme. The inhabitants have claimed the poor and deserving households have been overlooked while influential people have managed to secure water pipes otherwise intended for those in need.
Abdur Rehman, a local resident, expressed his anguish frustration, said that they have been subjected to injustice time and again.
According to him, around 40-50 water pipes were recently brought to the area by the concerned department, but they were distributed to influential individuals instead of the deserving ones. “Despite numerous attempts to address their grievances by approaching the Supervisor and Junior Engineer, their pleas have gone unanswered”, he said.
Shabir Ahmad, another local resident, revealed that the community had pooled their own funds to purchase plastic water pipes for transporting water to their homes.
He accused the relevant officials and executing agencies of showing favoritism and questioned why they were being denied tap water connections under the JJM scheme.
Ghulam Nabi, another aggrieved local, highlighted that their service line has remained incomplete for two decades, despite having an agreement in place and regularly paying fees. “Despite approaching the concerned Jal-Shakti employees multiple times, they have failed to receive the service line”, the aggrieved local said.
Numerous complaints of favoritism and the provision of multiple tap water connections to influential households, while deserving ones are sidelined, have also been received by the GNS news agency from various areas of Ajas Tehsil. The affected people are demanding a thorough investigation into the matter.
The locals have appealed to the Deputy Commissioner of Bandipora, Dr. Owais Ahmed, to initiate a comprehensive investigation and hold responsible the executing agencies and officials accountable for sabotaging the central government’s Jal Jeevan Mission.
Responding to the allegations, Executive Engineer Mutayib Shah of the Jal-Shakti division in Bandipora assured that he would personally investigate the grievances. He emphasized that the department is responsible for providing tap water connections to deserving individuals, not distributing water pipes.
“I want to make it clear that under JJM, the department uses its own resources to provide tap water connections to deserving people. We are not supposed to distribute the water pipes. I will still definitely look into it,” Shah stated.
The Jal Jeevan Mission, launched by the Government of India, aims to provide tap water connections to all rural households across the country. The District Administration of Bandipora recently organized an orientation program to enhance the capacity of stakeholders involved in the implementation of the JJM. (GNS)
