ITANAGAR, Nov 11: Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein on Wednesday called for a region-sensitive approach to urban planning in the Northeast, stressing that difficult terrain, scattered settlements and high infrastructure costs must be factored into the implementation of the 16th Finance Commission grants for Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).
Addressing a regional workshop on implementation of the 16th Finance Commission ULB grants for Northeastern states at the Golden Jubilee Banquet Hall here, Mein said conventional parameters such as population and geographical area alone might not adequately capture the actual cost of delivering municipal services in the region.
The one-day workshop brought together delegates from six Northeastern states—Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Sikkim and Tripura—to deliberate on effective utilisation of Finance Commission grants and strengthening urban governance.
Highlighting the common challenges confronting the region, Mein referred to difficult mountainous terrain, dispersed settlements, high transportation and infrastructure costs, limited municipal revenue and vulnerability to natural disasters, including landslides, flash floods, earthquakes and soil erosion.
Referring to the 16th Finance Commission award period from 2026-27 to 2030-31, he said the Commission had recommended around Rs 7.91 lakh crore in grants for Rural and Urban Local Bodies over five years, including approximately Rs 3.56 lakh crore for ULBs. He described the allocation as an opportunity to strengthen local institutions, improve civic infrastructure and enhance urban service delivery.
The Deputy Chief Minister stressed that municipalities must evolve from mere implementing agencies into professionally managed institutions capable of planning, financing, executing and maintaining their development priorities. He underlined the need for timely budget preparation, proper accounting, regular audits, transparency and stronger financial controls.
He also called for improving municipal revenue through better property tax administration, rationalisation of user charges, efficient collection mechanisms and digitisation of revenue systems.
Identifying priority areas, Mein stressed the need for scientific solid waste management, safe drinking water, drainage, sanitation, wastewater management, urban roads, street lighting and climate-resilient infrastructure. He also pointed to the shortage of qualified technical, engineering, financial and administrative personnel as a major challenge to effective municipal governance.
Referring to Arunachal Pradesh's urban landscape, he said the state has 47 notified towns, including 27 Census Towns, spread across an area of approximately 83,743 square kilometres. The small and dispersed settlements, combined with difficult terrain, made the creation and maintenance of urban infrastructure particularly challenging, he observed.
He 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.
Mein called upon participating states to prepare five-year implementation roadmaps with clear priorities and measurable targets, adopt project planning and cost estimates suited to regional conditions, and ensure convergence of Finance Commission grants with existing Central and state schemes such as Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U) and AMRUT to avoid duplication of expenditure.
He also urged the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to provide continued technical guidance, capacity-building and handholding support to smaller states and municipalities, particularly during the initial years of implementation.
Emphasising that the success of the 16th Finance Commission grants should be assessed through tangible improvements in civic infrastructure, municipal capacity and citizens' quality of life, Mein called for collective efforts towards sustainable, resilient and citizen-centric urban development across the Northeast.
Urban Affairs Minister Balo Raja, Gopal Prasad, Economic Advisor, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Sahid Iqbal Choudhary, Commissioner, Department of Urban Affairs, Sunil Kumar, Deputy Secretary, MoHUA, Hano Takka, Director, Urban Local Bodies, along with delegates from the six Northeastern states, senior officials, resource persons and representatives of Janaagraha attended the workshop.