Guwahati: Assam’s ambitious goal of delivering tap water to every rural household under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) is facing turbulence, as unpaid contractor bills, delays, and questions of accountability threaten to derail progress.
The state government closed the implementation of all JJM schemes in October 2024, yet the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) has not clearly disclosed how many projects it completed, approved, or left pending.
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Neither has it provided details of payments made to contractors, leaving both workers and the public in the dark.
According to Apurba Lahan, Secretary of the Assam PHE Contractors Association, more than Rs 4,500 crore in approved bills remain unpaid across 43 subdivisions, affecting over 8,000 contractors.
In addition, contractors have submitted fresh bills amounting to Rs 7,500 crore that are still awaiting approval due to a shortage of funds.
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“This delay is pushing many contractors into financial crisis. They have loans to repay and families to support. If dues aren’t cleared soon, many may abandon JJM altogether,” Lahan warned.
Strikes and protests have already erupted in Tezpur, Dibrugarh, and Guwahati, with contractors threatening to boycott further work.
The Jal Jeevan Mission, launched in 2019 with the promise of providing safe drinking water to all rural households by 2024 (later extended to 2026), has seen massive fund inflows.
RTI replies cited by activist Dilip Nath show that between 2019-20 and 2024-25, Assam received Rs 20,193.91 crore for JJM, including Rs 18,146.83 crore from the Centre and Rs 2,047.08 crore from the state government.
Total funds available during this period were Rs 26,620.90 crore, of which Rs 20,461.24 crore has already been spent.
Despite this, contractors allege that the PHED has failed to release adequate payments. They blame both delayed state contributions and mismanagement of central funds for the backlog.
A senior PHED official, speaking anonymously, painted a different picture. He claimed that poor-performing contractors, corruption, and substandard work have slowed JJM’s pace.
To address this, the state has cancelled contracts, tightened audits, and introduced stricter monitoring.
“The mission is facing challenges, but we are committed to speeding up implementation,” the official said.
As of August 2025, Assam has achieved 55% Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC) coverage, with around 34.6 lakh rural households out of 63.35 lakh having access to tap water.
Interestingly, official data suggests that 94% of rural households in Assam have access to piped water, significantly higher than the national average of 79.74%.
Still, the state has suffered major setbacks. Nearly six years since the launch of JJM, Assam remains far from universal coverage.
With the 2026 deadline looming, the pressure is mounting on authorities to resolve financial bottlenecks, pay contractors on time, and restore public trust in one of India’s most critical rural development missions.