Jal Jeevan Mission schemes still unfinished after three years at Kajirda; villagers threaten march

Rajapur: Piped water schemes worth lakhs of rupees sanctioned under the Jal Jeevan Mission are still incomplete in the Kajirda gram panchayat area of Rajapur taluka. Three years on, residents are struggling for water and are angry at the delay.

According to former sarpanch Chandrakant Shinde, ₹40 lakh was sanctioned under the mission for Ranewadi, Bauddhwadi and Wanewadi, and the gram panchayat added ₹3 lakh from its own funds. For Kajirda Patilwadi, ₹56 lakh was sanctioned, and the gram panchayat put in ₹10 lakh to get the work finished.

Neither scheme is complete. Villagers say substandard pipes, a pipeline laid unsafely through the riverbed and leaks at several places have stopped the supply altogether. Shinde alleged that despite repeated written representations to the block development officer, the panchayat samiti chairman and other officials, and resolutions passed by the gram panchayat, the administration has ignored the problem.

If the two schemes are not completed within a month, Shinde has warned, villagers will march on the Rajapur panchayat samiti.

Source: Ratnagiri Khabardar