PRESS NOTE
No: JKRTIF/IAB/PR/2515
Date: 15 July 2025
Residents of Mallabuchan village, Tehsil Pattan, Block Sherabad Khore, District Baramulla, submitted a formal complaint to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on 14 July 2025, alleging large-scale corruption, misuse of public funds, and procedural fraud in the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in their area.
Filed through Er. Irfan Banka, Chairman of the J&K RTI Foundation, the complaint includes documentary evidence and RTI responses revealing the following:
- The Village Action Plan (VAP) and Pani Samitis were falsely claimed to have been approved by the Gram Sabha.
- The village was unlawfully split between two districts for water supply: Hurrah Mohalla was connected to WSS Narabal Magam (Budgam), while Sofi Mohalla was forcefully linked to WSS Ahmadpora (Baramulla) without Gram Sabha consultation or planning.
- Water quality standards under IS 10500:2012 were disregarded in Sofi Mohalla, where the supplied water is turbid and unfit for consumption—violating both public health and JJM norms.
- No Implementation Support Agencies (ISAs), community mobilization efforts, or field-level water testing activities have taken place, despite significant expenditures recorded under JJM support activities.
- Several households received illegal dual water connections from multiple schemes, while nearly half of the village remains excluded from any access.
In protest, the Gram Sabha publicly declared the Ahmadpora pipeline “dead” and symbolically disconnected it, citing years of deception and neglect.
A copy of the complaint has also been sent to the Mission Director, Jal Jeevan Mission J&K, and the Additional Chief Secretary, Jal Shakti Department, urging immediate corrective action. The villagers have asserted they will not be held responsible for any damage to defunct infrastructure deemed unusable by the community.
The J&K RTI Foundation demands a time-bound and transparent investigation into the roles played by departmental officials, implementing agencies, and elected panchayat representatives in fund diversion, document fabrication, and the denial of basic drinking water rights to citizens.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Er. Irfan Banka
Chairman, J&K RTI Foundation
📧 jkrtifoundation@gmail.com | 🌐 www.jkrtifoundation.com
📞 +91 9419372272
Support Independent and Impartial Journalism
Nouk-e-Qalam News is a free and independent journalistic platform. To maintain our ethical standards and avoid obscene advertisements, we have disabled Google Ads. We now rely on your generous financial support to continue our unbiased reporting. Our Writers and readers are kindly urged to contribute—daily, weekly, or monthly. Thank you for standing with truth.
