Guwahati, Sept. 11 -- Assam's ambitious goal of delivering tap water to every rural household under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) is facing turbulence, as unpaid contractor bills, delays, and questions of accountability threaten to derail progress.

The state government closed the implementation of all JJM schemes in October 2024, yet the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) has not clearly disclosed how many projects it completed, approved, or left pending.

Neither has it provided details of payments made to contractors, leaving both workers and the public in the dark.

According to Apurba Lahan, Secretary of the Assam PHE Contractors Association, more than Rs 4,500 crore in approved bills remain unpaid across 43 subdivisions, aff...