Staff Reporter
Guwahati: A total of 29 central sector projects out of 63 ongoing projects in the state have crossed the completion date. Another 8 projects have overrun the original cost. These projects are worth Rs 150 crore and above.
Central sector projects costing Rs 150 crore and above are monitored by the Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation in terms of the project completion time and the cost of the project. Recently, the ministry published a report titled ‘461th Flash Report in Central Sector Projects (Rs 150 crore and above), March 2024’. The scenario regarding the central sector projects in the state is projected in this report and highlights the delays and cost overruns.
According to the report, the total original cost of the 63 projects in the state is Rs 63,142.94 crore.
The report highlights that the time overrun on 29 of the projects ranges from 2 months to 102 months. Similarly, the cost overrun in 8 of the projects is 55.94% of the original cost. The original cost of the 8 projects was Rs 18,729.12 crore, and now the anticipated cost has increased to Rs 29,206.25 crore.
One of the projects that has overrun the allotted time is the construction of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Changsari, Guwahati, with a scheduled completion time of May 2021. This has now been revised to May 2024. However, with time running out for the project to be completed on time, it remains to be seen what happens after that.
Another project is the construction of a new integrated terminal building at Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Borjhar, Guwahati. The project was approved in December 2016, and the original date of completion was March 2021. This project also could not be completed on time, and the anticipated time for completion has now been revised to March 2025.
One more example of time overruns in projects is the expansion of Guwahati Refinery from 1 to 1.2 MMTRA, along with the installation of catalytic reforming UN. The project was approved in May 2021, and the original time of completion was October 2023. This project was also delayed, and the anticipated time of completion has now been revised to February 2025.
Gas Assisted Gravity Drainage Scheme, Kasomarigaon, ONGC, is another project that was delayed. The project was approved in August 2021, and the stipulated time of completion was February 2023. Now, the project completion time has been revised to July 2024.
The Lok Sabha election result is coming out on June 4, and a new government will be in place. It will remain to be seen what steps the new government takes to ensure that projects sanctioned for the state are completed as early as possible.
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