Banihal, Sep 11: The ambitious Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), aimed at providing piped drinking water to every rural household, has hit a major roadblock in Ramban district, with works under several schemes remaining stalled for nearly two years amid mounting unpaid dues of contractors.
The situation has left thousands of people in the district’s hilly and remote areas, including Banihal, Khari, Ramsoo, Neel, Pogal Paristan, Gool, Sangaldan, Batote, Rajgarh, Gandhari, Chapnari and Thachi Amkote, waiting for reliable tap-water supplies.
According to locals and former Panchayat representatives, several newly constructed water storage reservoirs, pumping stations and hundreds of kilometres of pipelines remain either unused or only partially functional. In many villages, people continue to depend on traditional water sources, including springs and streams, as well as ageing water-supply networks.
The scale of JJM works in Ramban is considerable. As many as 93 schemes, involving an estimated investment of nearly Rs 500 Cr, are being executed under the Jal Shakti Department. The schemes include water-supply networks, storage reservoirs, filtration plants and pumping stations intended to strengthen drinking-water infrastructure across the district.
However, the extensive infrastructure created under the programme has so far failed to translate into dependable water supplies in several areas.
Residents of several areas have complained of leaking pipelines, damaged valves and deficiencies noticed soon after trial runs. In some steep and landslide-prone areas, locals alleged that pipelines were not properly buried, leaving them vulnerable to damage from landslides, heavy rainfall, snowfall and soil erosion.
Contractors associated with JJM works in Ramban district told Greater Kashmir that they had invested their own resources and raised loans to keep projects moving, but prolonged non-payment made it difficult for them to arrange labour, construction material and machinery currently.
They put their outstanding dues at around Rs 35 Cr, relating largely to works completed nearly two years ago.
Contractors said a limited release of funds recently provided some relief, but it remained far short of the total liabilities. They claimed that only about Rs 2.40 Cr was sanctioned against the pending amount, covering 35 schemes, while 63 schemes remained without payment.
They have also alleged that their earnest-money or security deposits have not been released despite several works having crossed 50 per cent completion, further worsening their financial position.
The contractors have urged the government to clear the pending bills and release withheld security deposits so that work on the stalled schemes can resume without further delay.
Executive Engineer, Jal Shakti Division Ramban, Naresh Gupta, when contacted, confirmed to Greater Kashmir that a limited amount of funds had recently been released for more than two dozen schemes after a prolonged delay.
He expressed hope that the initial release would help address the financial deadlock and pave the way for clearance of the remaining dues to contractors.
The situation in Ramban also reflects the larger implementation challenges confronting the Jal Jeevan Mission in Jammu and Kashmir.
A recent report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs has noted that J&K has achieved only 46 per cent physical completion under the mission, while outstanding liabilities to contractors across the Union Territory have reportedly reached around Rs 1,360 Cr. The parliamentary panel has expressed concern over delays in execution and mounting unpaid bills, stressing the need for expeditious clearance of pending payments and acceleration of works on the ground.
