Panel regrets N-E ministry is powerless

A Parliamentary panel has lambasted the functioning of the Ministry of Development for Northeastern Region for not being able to secure enough power to carry out its mandate to expedite infrastructure projects.

“The committee fails to understand that a ministry, which was carved out to focus and expedite development in the North-East, after more than a decade of its existence has realised that it lacks sufficient power and necessary infrastructure to carry out its mandate, and is completely dependent on various line ministries/departments for execution of projects,” said a report by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Home Affairs, tabled in Parliament on Thursday.

The Parliamentary Committee added that it  was “not at all impressed” with the functioning of the Ministry of Development for Northeastern Region and felt that line ministries were “not supporting or heeding the suggestions/requests of the Ministry of Development for Northeastern Region”.

The report recommended that the North-East ministry should furnish a detailed note, based on its decade-long existence, about “the bottlenecks and shortcomings and the desired solutions”.

The committee added that it would also take up the matter with the Cabinet Secretary, Secretary of the line ministries, as well as, the Planning Commission to find a solution to the problems facing the ministry.