Government Suspends Officials Amid Land Compensation Scandal
Itanagar, Nov 12: The government of Arunachal Pradesh has taken decisive action by suspending four officials and recommending disciplinary measures against the deputy commissioner of East Kameng. This follows the findings of a fact-finding committee that revealed significant irregularities in the land compensation process for the Lada–Sarli segment of the Frontier Highway project.
The investigation uncovered that compensation was assessed for assets that did not exist, along with wrongful valuations and fraudulent assessments during the land acquisition process for the 125.55 km stretch from Lada to Sarli (packages I to V), as stated in an official announcement.
The officials who have been suspended include Divisional Forest Officer Abhinav Kumar, District Agriculture Officer Miram Perme, District Horticulture Officer CK Tayum, and District Land Revenue & Settlement Officer Takam Kechak.
Additionally, the government has advised the Ministry of Home Affairs to suspend deputy commissioner Himanshu Nigam, who led the Ground Verification Board responsible for approving the disputed compensation.
The fact-finding committee (FFC), chaired by the Commissioner (Transport) and including senior officials from various departments such as PWD, Land Management, and Agriculture, was established on August 13 after complaints from affected landowners.
Numerous landowners claimed that proper ground surveys were not conducted, legitimate claimants were overlooked, and excessive compensation was awarded to non-existent beneficiaries.
The FFC’s preliminary report, submitted on November 4, highlighted serious errors and misconduct by the verification team, revealing significant anomalies and fraudulent practices in assessments.
The committee has been granted an extension until November 30 to finalize its report.
Local organizations and landowners have accused the administration of breaching public trust and “robbing genuine victims.”
Social media has seen a surge of calls for a transparent investigation and strict penalties for those involved. Civil society groups are urging the government to recover public funds that were improperly disbursed.
The land management department, in an order signed by Secretary AK Singh, stated that due to the severity of the findings, the officials have been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.
The Frontier Highway project, which is part of India’s broader border infrastructure initiative, has encountered challenges related to land disputes and compensation issues.
