Strife puts brakes on JJM

Imphal: The Manipur government’s target of providing safe drinking water to 4.5 lakh households by 2024 under the Centre’s ambitious Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) has hit a stumbling block owing to the ongoing strife in the state spanning over eight months.Shangreiphao Vashumwo, chief engineer of the state public health engineering department (PHED), on Thursday said the violence hindered in many ways the execution of the project which is 77% complete.The project was launched in 2019 with an estimated cost of Rs 3,137.42 crore, of which 90% was to be funded by the Centre and the rest was to be borne by the state.Expounding on the hurdles faced by the department owing to the conflict, the chief engineer said the main challenge was ferrying of project materials from outside the state.