The Bokakhat town water supply scheme has remained stagnant for the last 20 years : two decades of failure, unable to provide even a drop of clean drinking water to the citizens of Bokakhat.

Aiidesh New : 20 May - 2026 :

The ambitious Bokakhat Town Committee water supply scheme was approved during the tenure of the late Hemprakesh Narayan, then Minister of Urban Development, under the government led by Tarun Gogoi in 2005. However, despite the foundation stone being laid, the project has failed to supply a single drop of water for over 20 years, standing idle in the heart of Bokakhat town.  

The scheme, costing ₹4.04 crore, included a massive overhead tank, multiple reservoirs for water purification, and office buildings. It was designed to purify 1.90 million liters of water daily, under the Accelerated Urban Water Supply Scheme.  

At that time, Bokakhat Town Committee had only four wards, divided by National Highway 37. The water treatment plant was built in Ward No. 4, with the intention of supplying purified water to all wards. However, laying pipelines to Wards 1 and 3 required crossing under NH-37. The department failed to obtain permission from the National Highway Authority to lay pipes beneath the highway, halting the project indefinitely.  

Repeated attempts to secure permission failed, leaving the project suspended. Over time, the infrastructure has deteriorated, equipment has been damaged, and the ₹4 crore investment has gone to waste. Bokakhat still lacks an Urban Water Supply Department office, raising public questions about why such a costly project was undertaken without foresight.  

No departmental inquiry was ever conducted into this failure. Citizens have repeatedly requested that the project be handed over to Bokakhat Municipality, but the Assam Government has taken no action despite media reports.  

Finally, the Asom Yuba Chatra Parisad Youth has demanded that Bokakhat MLA and Cabinet Minister Atul Bora, along with Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma’s government, revive the project. Otherwise, they warn, a democratic movement will be launched.  

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