Srinagar: A house committee has been formed to investigate the allegations of financial irregularities in the implementation of the centrally sponsored scheme Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in Jammu and Kashmir during the central government’s rule.
Before winding up the day’s proceedings on Saturday (22 March), Abdul Rahim Rather, Speaker of J&K Legislative Assembly, said that since the start of the ongoing budget session, there was a demand from some legislators that the alleged irregularities in JJM scheme must be probed.
“I announce to constitute a House Committee to allay the apprehensions expressed by members from both the sides during debate and even on earlier occasions during this session,” Rather said, which prompted the Leader of Opposition and senior J&K Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) leader Sunil Sharma to seek a debate on the issue before the committee was constituted.
“The issue was debated since morning. House is supreme and there is no harm in the formation of a house committee to probe the matter,” Rather replied.
Retired IAS officer had alleged arbitrary posting of tainted officers
In 2023, Ashok Kumar Parmar, a 1992-batch retired IAS officer, alleged in a letter to prime minister Narendra Modi that the J&K administration, which was run by the BJP-led Union government at that time, overlooked official guidelines and financial rules, and tainted officers were “arbitrarily” posted at key positions to commit financial irregularities in the scheme.
The Wire had first reported about the letter in which Parmar alleged that the J&K administration, which was under the incumbent lieutenant governor (L-G) Manoj Sinha, procured water pipes “unsuitable for hilly areas” of Jammu and Kashmir without administrative approval and technical sanction, and in violation of norms under District Act. Plans and Detailed Project Reports.
Under the scheme, Rs. 3,000 crore was set aside for procuring pipes to provide piped drinking water to nearly two million households in Jammu and Kashmir.
When the proceedings of the house started on Saturday (March 22), some legislators alleged that the scheme had been marred by corruption. The ruling National Conference (NC) legislator from Poonch, Aijaz Jan, alleged that water pipes meant for public projects were allegedly sold by contractors during the assembly election campaigns at the behest of some individuals in the government.
The NC and Congress members then demanded the constitution of the house committee to investigate the alleged irregularities in the scheme under which Rs 13,259 crore central grant was approved for J&K in 2020 “to achieve 100 percent coverage of tap water connection” to 18.35 lakh rural households by December 2022.
The NC legislator from Zadibal, Tanvir Sadiq, said that the BJP members had also sought the constitution of a house committee to probe the alleged irregularities in the scheme, prompting the saffron leader Rajeev Jasrotia to distance his party from the issue.
“When did we make such a demand?” Jasrotia responded with Sadiq asking the BJP leader to check the records of the ongoing assembly session.
Seeking a house committee into the JJM implementation, Thanamandi legislator Muzaffar Iqbal Khan alleged that not even one JJM scheme was functional in his constituency.
“This world is damaged not much because of the cacophony of the bad people but because of the silence of good people,” Khan said, loosely quoting Napoleon, while pointing to three incomplete water supply schemes that were taken up under the JJM in Thanamandi constituency which have been completed only in the government records.
‘No doubt that the JJM funds have been misused’
“There’s no doubt that the JJM funds have been misused and a probe should be ordered,” he said.
Mir Saifullah, the NC legislator from north Kashmir’s Trehgam said that hundreds of crores were spent on JJM schemes but not one was functional in Kupwara district.
“All the schemes are incomplete while the (central) government is being told that the (JJM) schemes have been completed. Funds have been withdrawn. It is a scam. Why wasn’t the scheme implemented? If thousands of crores were spent, responsibility needs to be fixed and those who committed these irregularities should be held accountable,” he said.
Speaking with reporters outside the assembly, senior J&K Congress leader Ghulam Ahmad Mir said that thousands of crores of rupees were spent on procuring pipes. Referring to Parmar’s allegations in 2023, he said that the government failed to take cognisance of the issue.
“All the parties have unanimously raised questions about the implementation of the scheme. If there have been financial irregularities in the scheme, the guilty should be punished,” he said.
Earlier this month, several legislators alleged during the ongoing assembly session that there was bungling in the JJM implementation in J&K while demanding a house committee to investigate the matter. J&K minister for Jal Shakti Javed Rana later assured the house that action would be taken in the matter.
The house committee is likely to scrutinise the official records of the JJM and the alleged execution failures and lapses which led to financial irregularities in the implementation of the scheme in Jammu and Kashmir. According to rules, Speaker Rather will have to nominate the members of the committee which is likely to include representatives from all the parties.
In 2023, after Parmar flagged the alleged irregularities in the implementation of the scheme, the central government had initiated disciplinary proceedings against the officer.
