DoNER forecloses four infrastructure projects in Assam, orders refund of Rs 7.68 crore

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaAugust 25, 2025

The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER) has decided to foreclose four infrastructure schemes in Assam, citing non-completion and poor progress, with a sanctioned value of Rs 19.77 crore.

The move, taken at the 58th meeting of the Empowered Institution Monitoring Committee (EIMC) of NESIDS-OTRI in New Delhi, will require the Assam government to refund Rs 7.68 crore to the Centre.

Two of the projects are in Dima Hasao district. The Haflong Water Supply Scheme, sanctioned at Rs 1.42 crore, received Rs 0.65 crore but showed negligible progress. The EIMC has recommended foreclosure with a full refund of the released funds.

The Greater Mahur Town Water Supply Scheme, sanctioned on December 31, 2006, at a cost of Rs 5.12 crore, had received Rs 1.61 crore. An inspection by MDoNER’s Executive Engineer Sunil Jain in November 2024 assigned the project an outcome score of 5. The inspection noted that the Nomjang water source was washed away by natural calamities and the Chemical House-cum-Laboratory remained non-functional. The State-Level Empowered Committee (SLEC) of Assam recommended foreclosure on an “as is, where is” basis.

The other two foreclosed projects are road schemes. The Improvement of Road from the 1st km of Demow-Dehing Road to Dhaoma Pukhuri, sanctioned at Rs 7.60 crore in May 2012, received Rs 5.42 crore. An inspection by DoNER Undersecretary Parna Sahana in December 2024 awarded the project a score of 3, citing severe delays due to non-payment to contractors. The project has been recommended for foreclosure with a refund.

Similarly, the Construction of a road from NH-31 to Kashimpur Suplekuchi, sanctioned at Rs 5.63 crore, also faced foreclosure after prolonged delays and lack of progress.

This is not the first instance of MDoNER withdrawing support from Assam’s infrastructure projects. In recent months, several other schemes have been foreclosed for similar reasons.

The repeated closure of projects has raised concerns over inefficient execution, loss of public funds, and delays in addressing long-pending demands, particularly in backwards districts like Dima Hasao, where basic infrastructure such as drinking water remains a critical need.