Staff Reporter 

ITANAGAR, Nov 12: In a major crackdown on alleged corruption, the Arunachal Pradesh government has suspended four senior district officials and recommended disciplinary action against East Kameng Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Nigam, IAS, over large-scale irregularities in land compensation payments linked to the Lada–Sarli section of the Frontier Highway.
The move comes after a high-level Fact-Finding Committee (FFC), constituted on August 13, 2025, under the chairmanship of the Transport Commissioner, submitted its interim report to the state government on November 4. The probe was initiated following multiple complaints from landowners alleging manipulation, inflated valuations, and exclusion of genuine beneficiaries in the compensation process.
According to the Department of Land Management, the FFC’s preliminary findings exposed a web of fraudulent assessments — including compensation payments made for non-existent assets and “grossly inflated” valuations. The report also cited “serious omissions and commissions” by the field verification team responsible for conducting ground surveys.
Those placed under suspension are Seppa Divisional Forest Officer (IFS) Abhinav Kumar, District Agriculture Officer Miram Perme, District Horticulture Officer C.K. Tayum, and District Land Revenue & Settlement Officer Takam Kechak. Additionally, the state government has written to the Ministry of Home Affairs recommending the suspension of DC Himanshu Nigam, who chaired the district compensation verification board.
The controversy pertains to the 125.55-km Lada–Sarli stretch of the Frontier Highway — part of the Centre’s flagship Arunachal Frontier Highway project, a 1,748-km strategic road skirting the India–China border.
Meanwhile, the All Nyishi Youth Association (ANYA) – East Kameng Unit has lauded the state government’s prompt action in suspending officials involved in the Frontier Highway compensation scam. However, the organisation urged the authorities to recover all funds illegally transferred to various accounts and to conduct a thorough reverification and resurvey of the proposed road alignment to ensure that genuine landowners receive rightful compensation.
ANYA–East Kameng Unit also demanded the immediate arrest of all officials and individuals found complicit in the fraudulent compensation process.
As part of its ongoing agitation, the association announced that it will undertake a foot march from Seppa to Itanagar on November 14 to protest and press for the fulfillment of its long-pending demands.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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