Shillong, Dec 6: Over 1,171 villages have so far been covered with 100 percent tap water connection under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).

“We have completed 32 percent of the work by providing 100 percent tap connection to over 1,171 villages (against approximately 6,100 villages in the state),” Minister in-charge Renikton Lyngdoh Tongkhar told journalists on Monday.

“In terms of households, 1.89 lakh have been provided with tap connection in the rural areas of the state,” he added.

Stating that Meghalaya has improved its performance in as far as implementation of the JJM is concerned, Tongkhar said the work is going on very smoothly as he hopes that the department will be able to achieve bigger numbers by the end of March 2022.

He, however, said there are still thousands of villages where works have already started and completed only 50 percent to 90 percent.

When asked if the state can achieve 100 percent tap connections to all the households by December 2022, the minister said the state is well within the stipulated time.

“We are aiming to complete the mission by December 2022. We still have another one year to complete,” he said.

Stating that the flow of funds is not an issue, the minister informed that just last week, the Government of India sanctioned Rs 169 crore for implementation of the JJM in the state.

In as far as the proposal for extending the JJM to urban areas is concerned, Tongkhar said he hopes that the ministry concerned will take up the matter seriously and approve the same.