SHILLONG, July 19: The North Eastern Council has warned that the Government of India will not hesitate to foreclose development projects and recover sanctioned funds from all northeastern states that fail to utilise them within the stipulated timeframe, including any extensions granted.
NEC Secretary Satinder Kumar Bhalla said projects left incomplete may be closed on an “as-is” basis or, in appropriate cases, with a full refund of the sanctioned amount. The measure is aimed at ensuring accountability and proper use of public funds.
“The people of the Northeast deserve to know whether funds earmarked for the region’s development are actually benefiting them,” he said.
Despite persistent challenges, Bhalla noted that less than 0.1 per cent of NEC projects have been foreclosed. Of the 300–400 projects sanctioned, only three or four have been closed, a figure he described as negligible. Details of such cases are available on the NEC’s public portal.
He said the reasons for foreclosure are often beyond the control of implementing agencies, primarily land ownership issues—most land in the region belongs to communities or private individuals—along with disputes that arise after sanction, labour shortages and local obstacles.
Bhalla said the NEC has significantly strengthened its sanctioning and monitoring systems over the past 12 years, with major reforms in the last two to three years.
Periodic inspections, mobile apps for site photographs, satellite imagery analysed every six to eight months, and artificial intelligence in collaboration with the North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC) now track progress in real time.
Regular reviews with State Planning Departments and implementing agencies, plus public status updates on the NEC website, have improved completion rates over the past four to five years.
Acknowledging the region’s geographical and climatic constraints—the effective working season is limited to about six months—he said independent third-party quality inspections have also been introduced.
Bhalla expressed confidence that most projects would be completed within prescribed timelines over the next two to three years, ensuring every rupee allocated for the Northeast is used for its intended purpose.
