Rs 66-cr dues bring Jal Jeevan Mission to a halt in Alipurduar

Alipurduar: The Jal Jeevan Mission, aimed at providing treated drinking water to households, has remained stalled across Alipurduar district for nearly one and a half years due to unpaid dues amounting to Rs 66 crore, severely affecting the project’s implementation.

According to the Public Health Engineering (PHE) department, work under the scheme has come to a standstill because of an acute fund shortage. The department has claimed that the Central government has stopped releasing its share of funds, resulting in a financial deadlock.

As per the funding structure, the Centre was to contribute 60 per cent of the project cost, while the state government was responsible for the remaining 40 per cent. With the Centre’s contribution reportedly withheld, contractors have been pushed into a “severe financial crisis”.

Construction of several overhead reservoirs remains incomplete, while pipeline-laying work has been halted midway. Installation of household tap connections is also pending in many areas. Even in locations where water supply has begun, residents complain of low water pressure, making the service ineffective.

The impasse has deprived several lakh residents across six blocks and two municipalities of access to treated drinking water, defeating the objective of the flagship programme.

Around two weeks ago, contractors under the Alipurduar Social Welfare Contractor Association (PHE Civil) informed the PHE headquarters in Kolkata in writing of their decision to suspend work until outstanding payments are cleared.

Association secretary Bisal Bhowmik said the mounting dues had made it impossible to continue work. “With unpaid bills amounting to Rs 66 crore, we are unable to bear the financial burden any longer,” he said.

Confirming the crisis, Dhiraj Mondal, Executive Engineer of the district PHE department, stated that the situation arose primarily due to the “halt” in fund release by the Central government.

“This has led to a massive accumulation of unpaid dues and resulted in a complete deadlock in the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission in the district,” he said.