GUWAHATI: The Assam government has come under scrutiny as opposition MLA Pradip Sarkar questioned the Minister for Housing & Urban Affairs, Jayanta Malla Baruah, over significant delays in Guwahati’s ongoing water supply projects. Despite years of work and substantial funding, many households in the city are still without access to clean water.
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During the concluding day of the budget session of the assembly on Tuesday, March 25, Sarkar in an unstarred question pressed the minister for details on the status of the three major projects—the South Central & North Guwahati Water Supply Project, the South Guwahati West Water Supply Project, and the South Guwahati East Water Supply Project—all undertaken by the Guwahati Metropolitan Drinking Water & Sewerage Board (GMDW&SB). In response, the minister revealed that while the first two projects are expected to be completed in 2025, the third is delayed until 2029.
Raising concerns over multiple pipeline bursts that have hindered progress, Sarkar questioned the government’s handling of the situation. The minister acknowledged three major pipeline failures and stated that technical assistance from IIT-Guwahati had been sought. Measures such as the installation of a surge vessel and robotic surveys were implemented, but the opposition argued that these steps should have been taken proactively rather than in response to failures.
Additionally, an FIR was lodged against M/s GECPL (Gammon Engineers Contractors Pvt. Ltd) for alleged poor workmanship. However, the opposition demanded accountability from the government, asking why the contractor was entrusted with such a crucial project in the first place.
While the South Central & North Guwahati project has reportedly achieved 93.65% completion, the South Guwahati East project remains at 0%. Sarkar further questioned why extensions were repeatedly granted to contractors and why funds had been released despite the slow pace of work.
With funding secured from JICA, ADB, and the state government, the opposition insisted on clearer timelines and stricter oversight to prevent further delays, arguing that the people of Guwahati should not have to wait years for a basic necessity like clean water.
