The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday accused the Hemant Soren government of orchestrating large-scale corruption in the Jal Jeevan Mission, alleging that the flagship drinking water scheme has been reduced to a vehicle for massive financial irregularities in Jharkhand.
BJP spokesperson Ajay Sah claimed that after fake bank guarantees were used to allegedly siphon off crores of rupees in the liquor scam, a similar modus operandi is now being exposed in the Jal Jeevan Mission, where contractors allegedly secured projects through forged guarantees and withdrew huge sums without executing the work.
“The Jal Jeevan Mission is a historic and revolutionary scheme of the central government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, aimed at providing clean drinking water through taps to every household across the country, including Jharkhand, by 2024. Unfortunately, in Jharkhand, this ambitious scheme has fallen prey to corruption, negligence, and massive financial irregularities. On one hand, the Hemant government accuses the central government of not releasing funds on time, while on the other hand, widespread corruption and blatant misappropriation of funds received from the Centre are taking place,” Sah alleged.
Citing a recent example in Giridih, Ajay Sah said, “In Giridih, a construction company from Bihar secured a contract worth approximately ₹30 crore by presenting a fake bank guarantee of ₹1.3 crore. Subsequently, the department made an advance payment of about ₹10 crore without any substantial or visible work being done, clearly indicating collusion between the government and the administration. A similar situation is being observed in other districts of Jharkhand as well.”
{{/usCountry}}Citing a recent example in Giridih, Ajay Sah said, “In Giridih, a construction company from Bihar secured a contract worth approximately ₹30 crore by presenting a fake bank guarantee of ₹1.3 crore. Subsequently, the department made an advance payment of about ₹10 crore without any substantial or visible work being done, clearly indicating collusion between the government and the administration. A similar situation is being observed in other districts of Jharkhand as well.”
{{/usCountry}}Sah, citing figures from a CAG report published four months ago, said that the state government could achieve only 55 per cent of the target despite major financial support from the Union government. He said the quality of the completed work is not up to the mark.
“The central government provided Jharkhand with approximatelsy 90 per cent of the funds allocated under the Jal Jeevan Mission, but according to the CAG performance report, the state government could only achieve 55 per cent of the target. Moreover, the quality of the 55 per cent work shown is also under question. In some places, the taps don’t even exist, while in others, there is no water supply. In many villages, the work was merely completed on paper due to collusion between officials and contractors,” Sah alleged.
Sah demanded a special audit of all the work carried out across the state under the Jal Jeevan Mission and a high-level probe to expose the culprits and ensure proper action against them.
“After sand, coal, and stone, the Hemant government has now even targeted the drinking water of the common people. Such tampering with a basic right like water is unforgivable. The BJP has demanded a special audit of all the works carried out across the state under the Jal Jeevan Mission and a high-level, impartial inquiry into the entire matter so that the culprits can be exposed and strict action can be taken against them,” Sah said.
Responding to the allegations levelled by the BJP, state Congress spokesperson Sonal Shantisaid that the saffron party has no moral right to level the allegations.
“Seeds of corruption were sown in Jharkhand during Babulal Marandi’s rule, which were later nurtured by the governments of Arjun Munda and Raghubar Das, turning it into a giant tree. The current government is working to uproot that tree completely,” Shanti said.
Pointing out corruption in several projects during the BJP rule, Shanti said, “From sewerage and drainage projects to the cleaning of the Harmu River, there are many cases where the hands of BJP ministers and their favoured ones are stained with the black mark of corruption.”
Shanti presented an example of corruption allegedly committed by BJP leaders from the state capital. He said that during the BJP rule, illegal works were done under the protection of the government.
“The capital of Jharkhand is the best example of this, where at one time the head of the state government, the urban development minister, the mayor, and the deputy mayor were all from the Bharatiya Janata Party. During this period, under the protection of the government, illegal constructions were approved by deceiving the people of the capital, and people were cheated, due to which people are now forced to take to the streets,” Shanti said.
Shanti also accused the BJP of promoting corruption in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and praised the Hemant Soren government for creating a fair atmosphere in the JPSC.
“The youth of Jharkhand have not forgotten the corruption of the first JPSC (Jharkhand Public Service Commission), which had become a symbol of shame during the BJP’s rule. However, by reforming the JPSC, the current government is now conducting controversy-free examinations and making appointments,” Shanti said.