Manipur Jal Jeevan Mission under fire: Chandel locals allege major ‘paper scam’, demand probe
Allegations of a paper scam have surfaced in Manipur's Jal Jeevan Mission in Chandel district. Locals demand a probe to verify the true status of water connections and maintain transparency
- Jun 17, 2025,
- Updated Jun 17, 2025, 12:35 PM IST
Serious allegations have emerged regarding the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) implementation in Manipur’s Chandel district, with local civil society groups calling it a “paper scam” overseen by the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), Chandel division.
Speaking at a press conference held at the Manipur Press Club, Singul Larson Anal, president of Anal Lenruwl Tangpi (ALT) Maha Area, claimed that the ambitious rural water supply scheme has failed entirely in the district. He urged state and central authorities to launch an urgent probe.
Despite official claims that the project is over 90 per cent complete, ground reports suggest otherwise. According to data obtained through a Right to Information (RTI) request, PHED Chandel stated that the JJM project has achieved 92 per cent completion. However, when asked for specific household-level tap water connection data, officials referred applicants to the JJM online dashboard.
One notable example highlighted was Lenruwl village, which the dashboard lists as 97.30 per cent complete. Larson disputed this figure, stating that not a single household in the village has received a functional tap water connection. “The actual work done is not even 60 per cent,” he said, adding that a basic field inspection would reveal the discrepancy.
He also claimed that similar misreporting has occurred in several other villages, including Lambung and Chandel Christian. Civil bodies allege that inflated completion percentages have been reported to falsely portray progress, raising concerns of data manipulation and misuse of public funds.
The JJM scheme, aimed at providing tap water to every rural household by 2024, was inaugurated in Chandel district by then-Chief Minister N Biren Singh with significant publicity. However, residents say the situation on the ground remains unchanged.
Local groups are now demanding a full-scale investigation and accountability from the officials responsible for the implementation and monitoring of the scheme.