The Maharashtra State Water Supply Contractors Association has warned of protests after claiming that payments worth approximately Rs 150 crore for Jal Jeevan Mission works in 1,300 villages across about 25 districts have been cancelled or withheld, even as rural areas face heightened water stress.
The association said contractors who completed works under the mission found that funds shown as available on the government website were not available when the payment process began. According to the association, the amount appeared to have been withdrawn from the fund allocation before cheques could be issued.
The claim covers projects intended to support the Jal Jeevan Mission, the national programme aimed at extending household tap-water access under the “Har Ghar Jal” objective. The reported payment issue has raised concerns about the financial continuity of water-supply infrastructure works in rural Maharashtra, where demand for water is increasing amid drought-like conditions.
The contractors’ association said messages about the non-availability of funds were received by Jal Jeevan Mission offices in different districts. Milind Bhosale, president of the Maharashtra State Water Supply Contractors Association, said the information indicated that funds displayed as available were not accessible during actual disbursement.
The reported gap between the allocation shown online and the amount available for cheque distribution has created uncertainty for contractors involved in completed works. The source report does not provide a district-wise breakup of the claimed Rs 150 crore, details of the individual projects, or a response from the Maharashtra government or the Jal Jeevan Mission authorities.
The issue is significant because delayed payments can affect the financial position of agencies and contractors responsible for delivering water-supply infrastructure. It also places the funding process of a public utility programme under scrutiny: work may be recorded as completed while the payment mechanism remains unsettled.
The association’s warning comes at a time when rural communities are facing increased water needs. The source report links the funding difficulty to the drought-like situation in the state, but does not establish whether the claimed cancellations are temporary, part of a revised allocation process, or a permanent withdrawal of funds.
Contractors have threatened to launch an agitation over the alleged cancellation of the payments. Further clarification from the state government and the mission offices will be required on the status of the funds, the reasons for the reported withdrawal, and the timeline for releasing eligible payments.
