Imphal: Serious allegations of misreporting and data manipulation have surfaced regarding the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in Chandel district of Manipur, with local civil society groups calling it a "paper scam" overseen by the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), Chandel division. 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 completely failed on the ground, despite official claims of over 90% completion. Citing RTI-based data, Larson stated that PHED claims 92% completion of JJM work in the district. However, when pressed for household-level tap connection data, officials allegedly directed applicants to the JJM dashboard — which, he said, is highly misleading. He cited Lenruwl village as an example, where the dashboard claims 97.30% completion. “In reality, not a single household has received functional tap water,” Larson asserted, estimating that actual work completion is less than 60%. Similar issues were reported in Lambung and Chandel Christian villages. Civil bodies allege inflated figures are being used to falsely project progress, raising serious concerns of corruption, data manipulation, and misuse of public funds. The JJM, launched in Chandel with fanfare by then Chief Minister N Biren Singh, aimed to provide tap water to every rural household by 2024. Local residents now demand an urgent state and central investigation and accountability from those responsible for the scheme’s execution.
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