The probe into the alleged irregularities in centrally sponsored Jal Jeevan Mission has finally got a push with the House Committee of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly inviting complaints and information from general public and stakeholders. In a public notice (DIPK-3332-25) issued on July 4 by the Assembly Secretariat, the committee called for submissions on issues including non-provision of tap connections, use of substandard materials, incomplete or abandoned schemes, and other instances of corruption or mismanagement under the centrally sponsored scheme. “Whistleblowers, stakeholders, and people are hereby informed to bring to the notice of the committee their respective complaints, if any,” the notice said.
The House Committee has taken an appropriate step by inviting general public to help the probe. It may be recalled that during last Assembly session, the issue of mismanagement and inefficiency in execution of Jal Jeevan Mission was raised in the House by MLAs of different party including ruling National Conference. They had termed the JJM a major scam and demanded a thorough probe. Though the concerned minister had tried to explain, the MLAs had come with concrete data to make their points. It was in this backdrop that a House Committee was formed to probe the issue.
Now that the House Committee has made people of the UT (who are the real stakeholders), a party to the probe, those who are in know of irregularities in their concerned areas should come forward and help the probe. It is a serious issue and is directly linked with the well being of the general public. In a place like Jammu and Kashmir, it rarely happens that while probing some scam, making some developmental plan etc., the real stakeholders are taken into account and that is why the final results of such probes never see the light of the day.
But this time round, the House Committee has taken a right step in right direction. If the reports pouring in and the statements of various MLAs are taken into account, it is a massive scam wherein crores of rupees have been embezzled and execution figures have been fudged. Let people, in know of the irregularities, come forward and cooperate with the House Committee and let the House Committee ensure that the probe comes to a logical conclusion and irregularities, if any are made public and those responsible are face the law of the land. Furthermore, while the public should come forward to cooperate, the House Committee too should speed up the investigation so that the truth comes to fore without any further delay.
