Staff Reporter
Guwahati: It is a matter of consternation that only 12.94% of works sanctioned for Assam under the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) during the 18th Lok Sabha have been completed. It is even more concerning that not a single project under MPLADS recommended by three Lok Sabha MPs of Assam has been completed as of the last part of August 2026.
There are 14 Lok Sabha MPs from Assam, and each MP is entitled to Rs 5 crore annually for projects under MPLADS.
It needs to be mentioned here that the fundamental objective of MPLADS is to empower MPs to address immediate, localised developmental requirements by building public infrastructure in their respective constituencies. According to information available with The Sentinel, the allocated limit for the 14 MPs is Rs 201.03 crore, as of August 26, 2026. Of this amount, the total sanctioned amount is Rs 99.57 crore.
Assam’s MPs have recommended a total of 2,267 projects under MPLADS during the term of the 18th Lok Sabha. Of the 2,267 recommended projects, a total of 1,584 received sanction. Out of the 1,584 sanctioned projects, only 205 were completed until August 26, 2026, i.e., 12.94%.
Significantly, not even one of the projects recommended by MPs Kamakhya Prasad Tasa (Kaziranga), Parimal Suklabaidya (Silchar) and Kripanath Mallah (Karimganj) were completed until the above-mentioned date. A total of 58 projects recommended by Kamakhya Prasad Tasa got sanction, 54 projects recommended by Parimal Suklabaidya were sanctioned, and 43 projects recommended by Kripanath Mallah received sanction. For the three MPs named above, the total allocated limit was Rs 14.70 crore each.
The projects sanctioned and completed against different MPs were as follows: Barpeta MP Phanibhusan Choudhury 68 and 3, respectively; Dhubri MP Rakibul Hussain 131 and 25, respectively; Dibrugarh MP Sarbananda Sonowal 60 and 3, respectively; Guwahati MP Bijuli Kalita Medhi 97 and 5, respectively; Diphu MP Amarsing Tisso 86 and 41, respectively; Kokrajhar MP Joyanta Basumatary 74 and 20, respectively; Sonitpur MP Ranjit Dutta 129 and 22, respectively; Darrang-Udalguri MP Dilip Saikia 155 and 5, respectively; Lakhimpur MP Pradan Baruah 115 and 33, respectively; Jorhat MP Gaurav Gogoi 339 and 35, respectively; and Nowgong MP Pradyut Bordoloi (since resigned) 175 and 13, respectively. The figures reveal that the highest number of 41 works were completed in the Diphu Parliamentary constituency recommended by MP Amarsing Tisso.
The MPs cannot be held responsible for tardy progress or non-completion of projects recommended by them, but they have a moral responsibility to ensure that the works are completed in their respective constituencies. After a project against a certain MP is sanctioned, a construction committee is formed, and a representative of the government is a member of that committee. The blame for the non-completion of work rests squarely on this committee.
With around half of the tenure of the 18th Lok Sabha complete, a dismal picture of the implementation of the MPLAD Scheme in the state emerges, as evident from the figures mentioned above.
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