Poonam Nath

Arunachal: Five officials suspended for irregularities in land compensation on the Lada-Sarli Frontier Highway

Digital Desk: The Arunachal Pradesh government has suspended four senior district officials and recommended that the East Kameng Deputy Commissioner be suspended after a Fact-Finding Committee (FFC) discovered large-scale irregularities in the land compensation process for the Lada-Sarli Frontier Highway project in East Kameng district.

According to a news statement released by the Department of Land Management on Tuesday, the land acquisition procedure for the 125.55 km section of the highway has begun under the RFCTLARR Act, 2013, with a Ground Verification Board led by Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Nigam, IAS.

The board also featured representatives from the Forest, Agriculture, and Land Revenue Departments.

Given the results, the state government mandated the prompt suspension of:

IFS, Divisional Forest Officer, Seppa (Abhinav Kumar)
District Agriculture Officer, Seppa (Miram Perme)
District Horticulture Officer, (C.K. Tayum)
District Land Revenue & Settlement Officer, (Takam Kechak)

According to the statement, landowners complained about the lack of ground surveys, inconsistent compensation amounts, and apparent partiality in the distribution after the compensation award was approved in April 2025.

The system, according to the complainants, excluded lawful landowners while paying out exorbitant amounts for "non-existent assets."

On August 13, 2025, the state government responded by forming a Fact-Finding Committee, which was led by the Commissioner (Transport) and comprised of representatives from several departments.

Significant irregularities, including fraudulent assessments and the inclusion of fictitious properties for compensation, were exposed in the FFC's November 4, 2025, interim report. During the field survey, the district team was rebuked for "gross errors and deliberate commissions and omissions."

The government has also suggested that Himanshu Nigam, IAS, Deputy Commissioner of East Kameng district, who chaired the verification board, be suspended by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

The FFC has been given until November 30, 2025, to submit its final report, according to the press release, which was signed by A.K. Singh, IAS, Secretary of the Department of Land Management.

Reiterating its commitment to accountability and transparency in public projects, the government promised that stringent measures would be taken in response to the final findings.