Chowna Mein Highlights Unique Urban Challenges Facing North-Eastern States
Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein said urban planning and funding mechanisms for the North-East must reflect the region's difficult terrain, scattered settlements and high infrastructure costs.
ITANAGAR- Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein on Tuesday called for stronger urban governance and region-sensitive planning, saying the unique geographical and administrative realities of the North-East must be adequately considered while implementing the 16th Finance Commission grants for Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).
Mein was addressing the Regional Workshop on Implementation of the 16th Finance Commission Urban Local Body Grants for North-Eastern States at the Golden Jubilee Banquet Hall in Itanagar.
The one-day workshop brought together delegates and representatives from six North-Eastern States — Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Sikkim and Tripura — to discuss the implementation of Finance Commission grants and ways to strengthen urban governance and municipal service delivery.
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Highlighting the challenges faced by the region, Mein pointed to difficult mountainous terrain, scattered settlements, high transportation and infrastructure costs, limited municipal revenue and vulnerability to natural disasters such as landslides, flash floods, earthquakes and soil erosion.
He said conventional parameters such as population and geographical area alone may not adequately reflect the actual cost of delivering municipal services in the North-East, underlining the need for planning models that take regional realities into account.
Referring to the 16th Finance Commission award period from 2026-27 to 2030-31, Mein noted that approximately ₹7.91 lakh crore in grants had been recommended for Rural and Urban Local Bodies over five years, including around ₹3.56 lakh crore for Urban Local Bodies.
He said the grants presented a significant opportunity to strengthen local institutions, improve civic infrastructure and enhance the delivery of essential urban services.
The Deputy Chief Minister stressed that municipalities needed to evolve beyond being mere implementing agencies and become professionally managed institutions capable of planning, financing, executing and maintaining their own development priorities.
He emphasised the importance of timely budget preparation, proper accounting systems, regular audits, transparency and effective financial controls.
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Mein also called for strengthening municipal revenue through improved property tax administration, rationalisation of user charges, better collection efficiency and the digitisation of municipal revenue systems.
Among the key sectors requiring priority attention, he identified scientific solid waste management, drinking water supply, drainage, sanitation, wastewater management, urban roads, street lighting and climate-resilient public infrastructure.
He also highlighted the need to address shortages of qualified technical, engineering, financial and administrative manpower to strengthen municipal institutions.
Speaking specifically about Arunachal Pradesh, Mein said the State has 47 notified towns, including 27 Census Towns, spread across an area of approximately 83,743 square kilometres.
The dispersed nature of settlements and difficult terrain, he said, make the development and maintenance of urban infrastructure particularly challenging.
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Mein reaffirmed the State Government’s commitment to strengthening municipal institutions, improving sanitation and solid waste management, expanding basic urban amenities and promoting planned and sustainable urban settlements.
Outlining the expected outcomes of the workshop, he urged participating States to prepare five-year implementation roadmaps with clear priorities and measurable targets.
He also called for project planning and cost estimation that account for regional realities and effective convergence of Finance Commission grants with existing Central and State Government schemes, including SBM-U and AMRUT, while avoiding duplication of expenditure.
Mein further urged the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to continue providing technical guidance, capacity-building and handholding support to smaller States and municipalities, particularly during the initial stages of implementation.
He said the success of the 16th Finance Commission grants should ultimately be assessed not merely by the funds allocated or released, but by the quality of infrastructure created, the strength of municipal institutions, the sustainability of civic services and improvements in citizens’ quality of life.
The workshop was attended by Balo Raja, Minister for Urban Affairs, Government of Arunachal Pradesh; Gopal Prasad, Economic Advisor, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs; Sahid Iqbal Choudhary, Commissioner, Department of Urban Affairs; Sunil Kumar, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs; and Hano Takka, Director, Urban Local Bodies, among others.
