Achieving JJM targets if road surfaces are damaged is not development but complete misgovernance: Sukhnandan

By statetimes_editor Last updated Dec 7, 2023

STATE TIMES NEWS

JAMMU: At a time when people are being supplied with drinking water through taps, a huge population in many districts of J&K is deprived of good road connectivity. Earlier Black topped and metalled roads have been badly damaged. By achieving Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) targets, if road surfaces are damaged causing huge loss to state exchequer which is a burden on the taxpayers, it is not development but a case of complete misgovernance, said former Minister and BJP senior leader Choudhary Sukhnandan Kumar.
Addressing the media persons on Wednesday at BJP party headquarters, alongwith BJP Media Incharge Dr. Pardeep Mahotra and Seh-Prabhari BJP Jammu Border H.S. Pummy, Ch. Sukhnandan said that with an aim of providing clean drinking water to every household in India, the Union Government launched Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) around 4 years back.
This centrally sponsored scheme was formally launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 15th August 2019. The aim of JJM is to provide ‘Functional Household Tap Connections’ (FHTC) to every rural household in India by 2024.
The Jal Jeevan Mission -JJM is aimed at creating a people’s movement – Jan Andolan for water. But at the same time, lack of coordination between various Govt organisations and engineering wings while executing JJM projects in J&K, there is lots of chaos and confusion, Ch Sukhnandamn Kumar said, adding “At a time when people are being supplied with potable drinking water through taps, a huge population in many districts of J&K are deprived of good road connectivity.”
The former Minister also stated that there is a major scam in laying of water pipes as the digging work is done mechanically whereas the PHE department gets the money for manual digging so that the roads are not damaged fully.
It needs thorough probe that why the JCB and mechanical equipments have been deployed to dig the roads everywhere for water laying pipes, added Sukhnandan Kumar, demanding strict action against officers for inconvenience to the general public.
“I am hopeful that Lt Governor Manoj Sinha will take a serious notice of it and issue strict instructions to the administration to have coordination so that the general masses don’t suffer as this has resulted in complete chaos and confusion,” former minister Ch Sukhnandan Kumar assured.