Jalpaiguri: Trinamool leader flags PHE dept’s handling of ‘Jal Swapna’ project
Jalpaiguri: Serious concerns have emerged regarding the timely completion of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s ambitious ‘Jal Swapna’ project in Jalpaiguri with a December 2024 deadline.
Jalpaiguri district Trinamool president and Zilla Parishad Swasthya Karmadhakshya, Mahua Gope, has voiced her doubts regarding the Public Health and Engineering (PHE) Department’s handling of the project, highlighting significant discrepancies between the department’s reports and the actual progress on the ground. “What’s being claimed by the department has no basis in reality,” Gope stated, pointing out that, so far, only the Danga area of Bashila in Maynaguri block has seen any substantial progress. “Elsewhere, the work remains incomplete,”
she added.
The ‘Jal Swapna’ project, launched by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, aims to
provide clean drinking water to every household across
the state.
The PHE department initiated the project in Jalpaiguri district in the 2021-22 fiscal year, with the goal of delivering purified drinking water to 429,000 households by 2024.
However, sources reveal that, to date, only 179,000 households in the district have received water, leaving the majority still waiting.
Gope expressed her dismay at the slow progress, stating: “The concerned department has been repeatedly informed about the project’s sluggish pace, yet the progress remains unsatisfactory. A contractor is sitting on a significant portion of the work, stalling further advancement.
Moreover, from the outset, Block Development Officers (BDOs) have faced challenges due to poor communication regarding the project’s implementation. The execution seems to have been flawed from the beginning.”
Given the current pace of work and the considerable amount of unfinished tasks, Gope questioned the feasibility of completing the project by December. “The matter will be discussed with Honorable Minister Pulak Roy,”
she concluded.
When contacted for comment, Somnath Chowdhury, executive engineer of the district PHE department, was unavailable and did not respond to calls.
