Congress alleges multi-crore scam in Manipur’s Jal Jeevan Mission, seeks court-monitored probe

The Congress party Wednesday alleged a multi-crore scam in Manipur’s Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), a flagship program aimed at providing tap water connections to rural households, and sought a court-monitored probe into it.

Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here, party MP from Manipur Angomcha Bimol Akoijam alleged that the scheme has been marred by “systemic issue of data manipulation and fund misappropriation” in the state.

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Akoijam revealed that despite the Jal Shakti Ministry’s claims of providing tap water to about 80 percent of rural households in Manipur, his visits to several villages exposed stark discrepancies between official claims and ground reality.

“In every village I visited, not a single household reported having a functional tap water supply, starkly contradicting the official claims,” he said.

The Congress leader further alleged that even the pipes had not been laid in many areas, and it was only after he raised the matter that the administration started laying out the pipes. “This belies the government’s own claims—on the one hand, it asserts that the work has been completed and tap water has been provided to people, while in reality, the pipe-laying has only just begun,” Akoijam pointed out.

He stated that numerous complaints from different districts highlighted similar irregularities, suggesting possible large-scale misuse of public funds, lack of accountability, and failure in monitoring mechanisms by implementing agencies.

“It is unfortunate that the state has been looted at a time when it was going through a tragic phase, with violence taking place everywhere,” he added.

To get to the bottom of the alleged scam, Akoijam 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. The PIL also seeks a comprehensive audit of funds sanctioned and utilized under the scheme, district-wise, and verification of household tap water connection claims made by Jal Shakti Ministry.

The Congress leader emphasized the need for 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.