A J&K Assembly committee is conducting an on-spot assessment of Jal Jeevan Mission projects in Udhampur amid irregularity allegations. The probe follows severe flood damage in 2025 that wrecked water schemes and halted all JJM work in the district.
J&K Assembly Committee Probes JJM Projects
The House Committee of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly initiated a comprehensive on-spot assessment of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) projects across Udhampur district. Under the leadership of Chairman Hasnain Masoodi, a multi-party delegation of prominent MLAs scrutinised various water supply schemes following allegations of procedural irregularities.
"We are going for a spot visit. Our enquiry has two phases. First is meeting the officials, and second is visiting the spot... Only then can we present an objective and fair report," Masood told ANI.
Widespread Flood Damage Halts Water Schemes
Earlier in December 2025, it was reported that the Udhampur district was facing a water shortage after heavy downpours in August 2025 caused critical damage to the local water supply infrastructure. The Jal Shakti Department has been grappling with extensive repairs to pipelines and infrastructure constructed under its schemes. The floods and rainfall damaged 160 of over 200 water supply schemes that were operational in the district.
Executive Engineer, Jal Shakti Department, Udhampur, Sandeep Gupta, stated that of the 160 schemes, 24 were severely damaged. He said that, due to the impact, work under the JJM scheme has been completely halted. He emphasised that the new scheme under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) was also severely damaged. "We faced a lot of problems during the period from August to September... We had about 200 schemes that supplied water. Roughly 160 of them were damaged. Of those, 24 schemes suffered severe damage, which we have not yet been able to restore. We have restored 70-80% of the water... The new JJM scheme suffered heavy damage, and its work has been completely halted..." he said.
Residents Appeal for Restoration and Compensation
A resident of Darsoo village, Vibhakar Singh, shared that the rainfall and floods caused serious water issues in the village and even washed away the roads."There are serious water problems in our village. The Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) project here was completely washed away in the rain... The roads in our village were also completely washed away..." he said.
Another resident of the same village, Latif, appealed to the government to resume the Jal Jeevan Mission in the village to restore water supply and demanded prompt compensation for flood-related losses. "The heavy rains and subsequent flooding that occurred in J&K from 26 August to 9 September caused heavy losses to many government schemes and projects. The Jal Jeevan Mission project has still not been started in this village... I appeal to the government to start this scheme as soon as possible. The losses caused by the flood should be compensated for quickly. Many roads in this village have been damaged. People are facing great difficulties. I would also like to appeal to Shivraj Singh Chouhan and J&K Minister Javid Ahmad Dar, DC Saloni Rai, and Ranbir Singh Pathania to give these works special attention and top priority..." he stated.
The Jal Shakti Department in Udhampur is continually working to restore water to the affected regions. (ANI)
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