Claiming that a large part of West Bengal was reeling under a severe drinking water crisis, Leader of Opposition in Assembly Suvendu Adhikari wrote a letter to Union Minister of Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat over the poor implementation of 'Jal Jeevan Mission' in the state.
The BJP leader, in his letter, wrote, "We are observing very unfortunate and overwhelming situation at different parts of rural West Bengal as the general population are facing acute to severe drinking water crisis across many parts of the state".
He further wrote that although the reports by Public Health Engineering Department of Bengal government showed 80 per cent completion of the Jal Jeevan Mission scheme, situation on the ground was different as many households were receiving much less water. Suvendu said the scheme was only partially completed in many places.
'"A large part of the state is reeling under a severe drinking water crisis. Our politically motivated bureaucracy especially a section of higher levels of bureaucracy is showing its extreme indifference to the rural poor who saw this dream of 'Har Ghar Jal'," he said in his letter.
Earlier this month, Adhikari had written to Shekhawat seeking direction to the West Bengal governmnet to follow protocols while inaugurating 'Jal Jeevan Mission' projects in the state.
In his letter, he had stated that the state government was trying to "hijack" the credit due to PM Modi and Union Mistry of Jal Shakti.
"It is with great pleasure, I would like to thank you for the timely execution of the Jal Jeevan Mission Projects. The doorstep connectivity of drinking water in rural homes is the biggest gift to the people in this heatwave situation. The people of India are wholeheartedly thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi across India. However, the scenario is a bit different in West Bengal as the State government is trying their level best to hijack the credit due to PM and the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti," Adhikari said in his letter.
The government has recently said that over 11.84 crore rural households have been provided tap water connections under the 'Jal Jeevan Mission' over the last four years.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in August 2019 with the aim of providing safe and adequate drinking water to all rural households in the country.
The Union Budget 2023-24 has allocated a massive Rs 70,000 crore for the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission. The mission has a transformative impact on the lives of millions of people in rural India by ensuring access to safe and adequate drinking water.