Itanagar, May 6: Serious allegations of corruption, legal violations, and procedural lapses have surfaced in the land acquisition process for the Lada-Sarli Frontier Highway, specifically the stretch between Bomdila and Lada (packages 1, 2, and 5) in East Kameng district.
Landowners from Jayang Bagang and Kesse Bagang villages, whose lands fall under package-5, have submitted a detailed complaint to the state chief secretary and the land management secretary.
In their complaint, they have accused the district land revenue & settlement officer (DLRSO), and other officials of manipulating records and bypassing required procedures to facilitate compensation from the ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).
According to the complaint, no ground property assessment was carried out in the 24-kilometre stretch under Package-5. Despite this, the DLRSO allegedly prepared the land compensation award in collusion with the East Kameng deputy commissioner and succeeded in obtaining sanction for compensation from MoRTH.
In the case of packages 1 and 2, which span roughly 50 kilometres, the landowners claim that property assessments were conducted without their knowledge or consent and in the absence of proper ground or joint surveys.
The affected landowners further allege that they were made to sign documents without any actual surveys being conducted on their land. Essential records such as final maps, AutoCAD area files, compensation estimates, and survey reports are either missing or believed to have been fabricated.
These concerns were echoed in a letter dated April 8 last, from the assistant engineer of the Seppa highway sub-division, who confirmed the absence of key documents and survey reports for package-5.
The letter also pointed out that no assessment or allocation of dumping yards had been carried out, raising additional environmental and procedural concerns.
The landowners argue that the entire land acquisition process violates provisions of the Land Acquisition Manual, 2022, and the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013.
These laws mandate transparent procedures, joint surveys, and accurate documentation, all of which, they allege, were ignored. They further cited Section 85 of the RFCTLARR Act, which imposes criminal liability for non-compliance and fraud in land acquisition processes.
The credibility of the DLRSO is further questioned by the complainants, who point out that the same officer had previously been accused of misappropriating compensation funds in connection with the 2023–24 Helipad Ground “A” Extension Project in Naharlagun. That earlier complaint had been submitted by advocate Aman Bagang and Raja Bagang.
In light of these serious allegations, the affected landowners have called for an independent inquiry into the conduct of the DLRSO. They have also demanded the officer’s immediate transfer to prevent obstruction of any investigation.
Additionally, they are urging the government to form a fact-finding committee independent of the current district administration, conduct a lawful re-survey and verification of the affected lands in package-5, and hand over the entire land acquisition matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a thorough probe into possible corruption.
"Failure to act will leave us no choice but to seek judicial remedies to protect our legal and constitutional rights," the complainants stated.
Copies of their complaint have also been forwarded to the CBI, Enforcement Directorate (ED), and major national media outlets.
