Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: The Empowered Inter-Ministerial Committee (EIMC) of NESIDS-OTRI of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) recommended the foreclosure of two projects in Assam with full refund. The EIMC had to take this decision due to the abysmally slow progress of work on the two projects.
The EIMC took this decision at its 56th meeting held under the chairmanship of the Secretary, DoNER, in New Delhi recently.
According to an office memorandum of the DoNER issued on May 19, 2025, the two projects are Namrup Power Substation, with a cost of Rs 19.94 crore, and Improvement of Road By-lanes of Chabua town, with a cost of Rs 9.06 crore.
According to the office memorandum of the DoNER, the Namrup Substation (2X50 MVA, 220/132 KV) project was sanctioned on January 19, 1999, for an approved cost of Rs. 19.94 crore. The amount released towards the project is Rs. 2.50 crore.
The project has been recommended for foreclosure on an as-is-where-is basis by the SLEC (State Level Empowered Committee) of Assam.
The project has been inspected by EE/MDoNER Sunil Jain on November 28, 2024, and has reported an outcome score of 0. It has further been reported that due to non-approval of the related 220 kV D/C Tinsukia-Namrup line, the work of the substation could not be pursued. Released funds were diverted to other power projects in the state. However, the state government has furnished the utilisation certificate of only Rs 184.70 lakh. After detailed deliberation, the EIMC recommended the foreclosure of the project with a full refund.
The project for improvement of road by-lanes of Chabua town was sanctioned on September 29, 2013, for an approved cost of Rs. 9.06 crore. The amount released towards the project is Rs 6.18 crore. This project has also been recommended for foreclosure on an as-is-where-is basis by SLEC of Assam.
The project was inspected by Jayanta Das, FTSU Assam, on March 19, 2025, and has reported an outcome score of 10. It has further been reported that the project came to a halt in 2019 due to issues relating to encroachments and the construction of drains as per DPR in a few out of 54 bye-lanes.
Resulting in which, the department considered a change in scope, which eventually failed to materialise. In the interim period, another department/agency took up the remaining work in the bye-lanes, utilising their own financial resources to bring those specific elements to completion.
After detailed deliberation, the EIMC recommended the foreclosure of the project on an as-is-where-is basis.
With the foreclosure of these two projects, the Assam government will have to cough up Rs 8.68 crore.
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