TMC delegation meets jal shakti minister, flags West Bengal's dues under Jal Jeevan Mission

New Delhi, Aug 18 (PTI) A delegation of Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders met Jal Shakti Minister CR Paatil here on Monday and said the payment of an amount of around Rs 2,525 crore is due for West Bengal.

The delegation urged the Union minister that the money be released.  Talking to reporters after meeting Paatil, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee said several projects are pending due to the non-release of funds from the Centre.

"We have asked the jal shakti minister to release the money that is due for West Bengal -- around Rs 2,525 crore," Banerjee said.

"The point is that the work cannot be finished, although West Bengal has given the money. In some projects, West Bengal has spent the money, but the rest of the projects are not being finished because the Centre is not releasing the funds," he said, while alleging that BJP-ruled states, on the contrary, are being given more funds.

In a memorandum submitted to the jal shakti ministry, the TMC said under the Jal Jeevan Mission, the West Bengal government and the Centre have together approved projects amounting to Rs 58,000 crore to cover 1.75 crore rural households of the state.

The ruling party in the state said so far, 56 per cent of these households have been provided with water connections with an expenditure of Rs 2.3 lakh crore, while schemes amounting to Rs 2.28 lakh crore are under various stages of implementation.

"The withholding of Bengal's legitimate entitlements under JJM and the concurrent apathy across ministries, including yours, amount to a deliberate undermining of the spirit of cooperative federalism, the cornerstone of our Constitution and governance framework," the party led by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said.

"The cumulative dues owed by the Centre to West Bengal now stand at an alarming Rs 1.93 lakh crore under various centrally sponsored schemes, including MGNREGA, PMAY-Gramin, and PMGSY, among others," it added.

Paatil, in a post on X, said he met with the delegation of TMC MPs and discussed ways to ensure more effective implementation of central water schemes in West Bengal.

"During this dialogue, the key focus was to ensure the more effective implementation of the schemes of the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India, under the visionary leadership of Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in West Bengal, so that the people of the state can maximally benefit from clean drinking water, sustainable water management, and facilities related to public welfare," he said. PTI AO RC