Kohima, July 24: At least 14 National Highway (NH) projects in Nagaland have missed their original completion deadlines, placing the state among the worst performers in the Northeast in terms of delayed road infrastructure projects, the Centre informed Parliament on Thursday.
In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said the delayed projects were sanctioned during the last five financial years and do not include projects proposed for termination or foreclosure.
Nagaland has the second-highest number of delayed NH projects in the Northeast, behind Assam (23), followed by Manipur (13), Sikkim (4), Tripura (4), Arunachal Pradesh (3), Meghalaya (3) and Mizoram (2).
Gadkari attributed the delays to a host of factors, including land acquisition bottlenecks, pending statutory clearances, utility shifting, encroachment removal, law and order issues, poor contractor performance, and force majeure events such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said National Highway projects are normally scheduled for completion within two to three years, but timelines are extended when delays arise from circumstances beyond the control of contractors.
The minister clarified that delayed execution does not necessarily result in cost overruns. Where contractors are not at fault, price escalation is allowed under contractual provisions. However, if delays are attributable to contractors, penalties are imposed and no additional costs are passed on to the government.
To improve project execution nationwide, the ministry has imposed penalties of around ₹2,732 crore on contractors and concessionaires over the past three financial years, recovering nearly ₹780 crore so far. It has also strengthened project monitoring through regular review meetings, coordination with state governments and intervention through platforms such as the Project Monitoring Group and PRAGATI.
The disclosure comes amid growing concerns over delays in centrally funded projects in Nagaland.
Earlier this year, Principal Secretary and Development Commissioner Y. Kikheto Sema revealed that the state had to refund ₹32 crore due to implementation delays, while the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) recently foreclosed 12 projects worth over ₹100 crore because of prolonged delays.
The latest data is likely to intensify calls for stronger project monitoring, quicker clearances and better coordination among departments to prevent further delays and avoid the loss of central funding for key infrastructure projects.
