Land dispute forces closure of Mayangnokcha GHSS project; Rs 101.67 lakh refunded to NEC
Ten government projects in Nagaland have been foreclosed and their funds surrendered amid prolonged delays, land disputes and other implementation hurdles, Deputy Chief Minister TR Zeliang told the Legislative Assembly on Thursday.
Zeliang said some of the projects had remained incomplete despite being sanctioned years ago, with projects sanctioned in 2022, 2017 and even 2012 still facing delays.
The disclosure came during a discussion on delays in project implementation and the surrender of funds.
Advisor for SCERT and Food Processing Achumbemo Kikon raised concern over projects being delayed and eventually closed, pointing to the loss of development opportunities when sanctioned projects fail to take off within the required period.
Among the issues affecting implementation were bureaucratic delays, delays in preparation of Detailed Project Reports and technical approvals, problems involving contractors, compensation to landowners, landslides and law-and-order issues.
Kikon cited the example of a project involving conversion of a workshop into a bus station, night parking and market. Although funds had been sanctioned in 2016, work on the project only took off in October 2020.
He also referred to the infrastructure project at Mayangnokcha Government Higher Secondary School, which had to be closed because of a landowner-related issue. Around Rs 101.67 lakh sanctioned for the project was subsequently refunded to the North Eastern Council.
Zeliang said landowner issues were among the major reasons for projects being foreclosed.
He said the State currently had a committed liability of around 11 per cent, adding that this needed to be brought below 5 per cent to enable Nagaland to secure additional projects and funds.
Foreclosure of projects was therefore also being used as a means of reducing the State’s committed liability, he said.
The Deputy Chief Minister stressed the need for ministers and advisors to closely monitor projects to ensure timely implementation and prevent the surrender of sanctioned funds.
The discussion highlighted the gap between sanctioning of projects and their actual execution, with administrative procedures, land-related disputes and other local-level issues continuing to delay the delivery of infrastructure.
The government’s response indicated that projects which cannot be implemented within the required period may ultimately have to be foreclosed, resulting in the surrender or refund of sanctioned funds.
