Senapati, October 14: Youth Rise For Change (YRFC), a youth-led movement against corruption and the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) scam in Senapati district, met Deputy Commissioner Mamoni Doley, IAS, at her office on Tuesday afternoon to submit a formal representation and urge immediate action on the alleged JJM scam and misappropriation of funds in Senapati district, Manipur.
In their letter, the YRFC team expressed deep concern and disappointment over the ongoing corruption and large-scale discrepancies within the JJM project. They noted that, despite the DC being aware of findings from RTI applications, the lack of prompt and decisive action has caused public frustration and undermined confidence in the integrity of district administration under her leadership.
The youth group stressed that they represent the collective voice of the voiceless, predominantly rural citizens who form over 90% of the district’s population. They asserted that the movement is purely people-driven, with no political agenda, and backed by verifiable facts and documents obtained through the RTI process.
According to the representation, RTI findings revealed serious discrepancies and falsified data under the JJM. The letter highlighted that the Executive Engineer (EE), PHED Senapati, submitted false information before K. Radhasyam Singh, Chief Information Commissioner, on July 29, 2025, claiming four villages—Oklong Maryram, Maiba, Phikomei, and Sangkungmai—had achieved 100% functional household tap connections, while ground reports and local testimonies contradict these claims.
Further, official instructions issued to Block Development Officers (BDOs) of Paomata, Maram-Tadubi, Willong, and Song Song blocks directed inspections and verification of ten villages listed as 100% complete on the Jal Shakti Ministry Dashboard. During Union Minister George Kurian’s official visit, the PHED Senapati division falsely reported that under JJM, 32 villages were covered (30 completed, 2 in progress) and under NDB funding, 103 villages were covered (12 completed, 91 in progress). YRFC said such mismatches and false reporting have caused widespread anger, frustration, and loss of trust among residents.
The representation also noted that information requested through an RTI dated August 3, 2025, addressed to the EE, PHED Senapati, and copied to the DC, has not been provided despite the statutory time limit having expired. The youth group termed the continued delay and lack of response as deliberate attempts to withhold crucial public information.
YRFC urged the DC to take immediate corrective action, initiate an independent verification and audit of all JJM projects in the district, ensure disciplinary and legal action against officials involved in data manipulation and fund misappropriation, and make all JJM project data publicly accessible to restore transparency and public confidence.
The letter emphasized that the youth-led movement against corruption, beginning with the JJM scam, is gaining strong public support every day and called for the DC’s intervention to restore public confidence and uphold the principles of good governance, transparency, and accountability.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner assured the youth delegation that she would look into the matter without bias. The DC condemned fabricated reports related to the JJM scam and expressed concern over the slow progress of the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) in implementing the scheme. She also assured that every household in Senapati district would be provided with water tap connections at the earliest.
(By Our Staff Reporter)
