INR 12,572 crore allocated for Northeast projects in last 5 years

DIMAPUR — In the last five years, 863 projects have been undertaken in the Northeast, with 136 projects expected to be completed by the end of 2023.

This was revealed by BL Verma, Minister of State for Development of the North Eastern Region, in a written response to a question in Lok Sabha on Monday.

He stated that the total amount of money allocated for the projects is INR 12,572.53 crore, with INR 2251.62 crore allocated specifically for the state of Assam for 130 projects. He also stated that 29 projects in Assam are running behind schedule.

According to the scheme guidelines, the cost escalation due to the time overrun is to be borne by the concerned state government, he stated.

In addition, he mentioned that the Ministry has been implementing the North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS) since 2017–18. The scheme has been divided into two parts: NESIDS (roads) and NESIDS (other than road infrastructure, or OTRI).

Under NESIDS (roads), the ministry has sanctioned two projects for Meghalaya in 2022-23: Shillong city to Umroi Airport road and Agia Medhipara Phulbari Tura road, with a total outlay of INR 87.65 crore.

Additionally, under NESIDS (OTRI), the ministry approved a project for bulk water supply to the adjoining Tura town, allocating INR 97.77 crore for the 2023-24 fiscal year for the state of Meghalaya.