Shillong, Sept 23: Payments worth over Rs 700 crore are pending for the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) projects in Meghalaya.
Informing this on Tuesday, Public Health Engineering (PHE) Minister Marcuise N Marak said, “In terms of payment, we are yet to pay almost Rs 700 crore pending payment.”
However, he clarified that this is not due to the state government’s inaction, but rather because of procedural delays at the central government level.
“It is not because of the state government it is because of the government of India as there are some procedures. Government of India needs to take a decision because target was set for March 31, 2024 and after that government of India has not taken any decision,” Marak said while announcing that the Government of India has extended the JJM deadline to 2028.
The minister also assured that the earmarked funds will be released to the state once the auditing is completed enabling payment to contractors.
“Therefore, now the government of India has to release the money which they have already earmarked for the Jal Shakti Ministry and as per finance ministry’s mandate, the kind of audit that is being conducted with the Jal Shakti Ministry once the auditing is completed, the money will be released to the state and once the money is released the payment will start,” he said.
Marak acknowledged that the pending payments have affected the work on some projects, with capable contractors continuing to work while others have halted construction due to financial constraints.
He expressed understanding for the hardships faced by contractors and assured that efforts are being made to resolve the issue.
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