Ranchi: Drinking water and sanitation minister Yogendra Prasad on Monday ordered strict action, including blacklisting, against contractors found negligent in implementing the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) across the state. The directive followed a review that flagged slow progress, poor construction quality and violations of prescribed standards in several projects.Prasad issued the directions while chairing a review meeting of the JJM programme in Latehar. Taking serious note of delays and non-compliance, he instructed officials to blacklist defaulting contractors and order formal inquiries wherever complaints of financial irregularities or procedural lapses are received.The minister said accountability would not be confined to contractors. He warned that departmental officers, including the concerned executive engineer, would also face strict action once inquiry reports were submitted and responsibility fixed.To prevent further delays, Prasad directed officials to conduct regular field visits and continuously monitor ongoing and pending works. He also asked them to ensure timely completion of projects and verify whether household tap connections were functional and supplying clean drinking water to rural families.“Jal Jeevan Mission is a vital public welfare scheme aimed at supplying safe drinking water to every rural home. The department must ensure timely execution so villagers receive water without delay,” Prasad said.Departmental secretary Abu Imran directed officials to immediately resolve field-level bottlenecks and ensure that no eligible household was deprived of clean drinking water. Officials said 55.9% of rural households had tap water connections, while the remaining households were to be covered under the JJM by Dec 2028.
