GUWAHATI: Several concerns over the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in Assam were raised in the Assam Assembly on Tuesday, July 7, with legislators from both the treasury and opposition benches flagging dysfunctional water supply schemes, pending projects, alleged discrepancies in official records, and arsenic contamination in water.
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During the Question Hour, MLAs sought clarifications from the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department over the status of JJM projects in their respective constituencies and the government's plan to address delays and operational issues.
AITC MLA Sherman Ali Ahmed of Mandia, raised questions regarding dysfunctional JJM projects in his constituency. Responding to the query, Public Health Engineering Minister Krishnendu Paul said maintenance-related issues requiring expenditure of less than ₹5 lakh could be resolved by the respective district commissioners using tied funds. Cases involving higher expenditure, he said, would be taken up by the PHE Department.
BPF MLA Rupam Chandra Roy of Baokhungri also raised concerns over pending JJM projects in his constituency.
Congress MLA Jay Prakash Das of Naoboicha, BJP MLA Mridul Kumar Dutta of Dergaon, BJP MLA Tankeswar Rabha of Dudhnoi, and Congress MLA Tanzil Hussain of Samaguri highlighted issues relating to pending or dysfunctional JJM projects and the presence of arsenic contamination in drinking water in their respective constituencies.
Responding specifically to concerns raised by Jay Prakash Das over dysfunctional projects in Naoboicha, Minister Paul said he would require a detailed report before appropriate corrective measures could be initiated.
Addressing concerns over arsenic contamination in Dergaon, raised by BJP MLA Mridul Kumar Dutta, the minister assured the House that the government would take all necessary steps to ensure the supply of safe and potable drinking water.
Intervening during the discussion, Assembly Speaker Ranjeet Kumar Dass directed the minister to immediately "seal the projects" where arsenic contamination had been reported in Dergaon.
The Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) was launched on August 15, 2019 with the vision of providing tap water connections to every rural household in the country. At the time of its launch, only 3.23 crore households (16.71 per cent) had access to tap water.
In Assam, the mission effectively came to a halt in October 2024 after the Public Health Engineering Department issued a formal directive suspending all new and ongoing works, citing poor execution and other irregularities. Subsequently, on March 10, 2026, the Union Cabinet approved Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0, restructuring the programme from an infrastructure-centric approach to a service delivery model.