Boko, May 26: Corruption and irregularities have become entrenched in the Boko Sub Division of the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department, with villagers voicing their frustrations over the continuous deceit and failed promises of clean drinking water.
Recent reports have highlighted significant corruption and irregularities in the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) works, particularly in the Hahim area along the Assam-Meghalaya border. Similar issues have emerged from the Lampi area, also under the Boko Sub Divisional PHE office, located in Kamrup (Rural) District, approximately 100 kilometres from the state capital.
Krishna Sharma, the village headman, revealed that over 500 families reside in the mountainous Lampi area. Biju Chetry, a resident, expressed deep regret that despite India’s 75 years of independence, the people of Lampi are still deprived of pure drinking water due to persistent corruption and negligence by the PHE Department.
Chetry pointed out that government grants meant for providing clean drinking water often fail to reach the villagers because of departmental corruption. This ongoing issue stands in stark contrast to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2019 Independence Day address, where he announced the joint effort of central and state governments to invest over Rs. 3.50 lakh crores in the Jal Jeevan Mission.
Chetry recounted that as far back as 1990, promises were made to provide pure drinking water to Lampi, yet no family has received any water from the scheme in Harshanagar. Despite departmental records stating otherwise, the villagers have seen no improvements.
When questioned about the JJM scheme’s implementation in Lampi, SDO Mukut Barman deflected responsibility, stating that the works commenced before his tenure. He further alleged that Meghalaya had redirected the stream intended for Lampi’s water supply, which is now used for their JJM scheme.
Contradicting Barman’s claims, village headman Sharma clarified that the stream is used by Meghalaya residents for washing clothes, and credited the Meghalaya government for effectively implementing the JJM, resulting in clean drinking water for its border residents. Sharma criticized Assam’s engineers for their lack of expertise and frequent project failures, attributing these issues to excuses rather than solutions.
SDO Barman mentioned that future plans involve implementing the JJM scheme with deep tube wells and noted that a Detailed Project Report (DPR) team had recently surveyed the Lampi area, with work expected to start soon.
The villagers of Lampi have raised critical questions about the repeated misuse of funds granted by the government, collected under the promise of supplying drinking water to every household, and the continuing cycle of unfulfilled promises and wasted resources.
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