The Jal Jeevan Mission in Ahilyanagar district is facing a major implementation backlog, with more than 830 water-supply projects still incomplete amid drought conditions, according to a report by Sakal. Village sarpanches and residents are expected to hold a gate-lock protest at the district council office on November 17 if the pending works are not completed.
The warning was issued by Sambhajirao Daha t onde, state president of the Akhil Bharatiya Maratha Mahasangh. He has demanded that the Ahilyanagar district council administration complete the unfinished projects and formally hand over schemes that have already been constructed but remain pending for transfer.
The Jal Jeevan Mission is intended to provide household tap-water connections in rural areas. In his complaint to the state chief secretary, Daha t onde said that more than Rs 900 crore had already been spent on projects in the district, while a large number of schemes remained incomplete. The report said the continuing delays were affecting villages at a time when residents were facing drinking-water shortages.
Daha t onde also alleged irregularities in the execution and tendering of the projects. The allegations include the use of false work-experience certificates, inflated documents showing contractors’ bidding capacity, and manipulation of eligibility conditions during the tender process. He further alleged that tender notices were altered, bids were opened late, technical envelopes were delayed and contracts were awarded on the basis of forged or improper documents.
These allegations have not been independently established in the supplied report. They form part of a complaint submitted by Daha t onde to the state chief secretary, who has been asked to initiate an investigation into the conduct of a former district council chief executive officer. The complainant has sought disciplinary action, recovery of funds allegedly wasted and an inquiry into expenditure incurred on incomplete or substandard works.
The report also said that irregularities had been found in several Jal Jeevan Mission works across the district and that 10 officials had already been suspended in connection with such issues. It did not provide details of the individual cases, the dates of the suspensions or the findings of any completed departmental investigations.
The dispute highlights the administrative gap between completing physical construction and making a rural water-supply scheme operational. Even where infrastructure has been built, the absence of formal handover can delay responsibility for operation, maintenance and service delivery. For residents, this can mean that public expenditure does not immediately translate into a reliable household water connection.
The proposed protest will bring village representatives and residents to the district council office on November 17. The demands include completion of all pending projects, action against those accused of irregularities and an audit of expenditure linked to delayed, incomplete or allegedly poor-quality works. The district council administration’s response to the warning was not included in the supplied report.
