The Arunachal Pradesh government has suspended four senior district officials and recommended disciplinary action against East Kameng Deputy Commissioner (DC) Himanshu Nigam after a probe uncovered large-scale irregularities in land compensation for the Frontier Highway project’s Lada–Sarli stretch.
According to an official statement issued on Wednesday, a fact-finding committee revealed instances of compensation being issued for non-existent properties, inflated valuations, and fabricated asset assessments during the award process for the 125.55-km segment of the project.
The officials placed under suspension include Divisional Forest Officer Abhinav Kumar, District Agriculture Officer Miram Perme, District Horticulture Officer CK Tayum, and District Land Revenue and Settlement Officer Takam Kechak.
The government has also recommended to the Ministry of Home Affairs that DC Nigam — who headed the Ground Verification Board responsible for approving the compensation — be suspended for his role in the alleged malpractice.
The committee, led by the Commissioner (Transport) and comprising representatives from the PWD, Land Management, and Forest Departments, was constituted on August 13 following multiple complaints from local landowners regarding irregularities in compensation.
Its interim report, submitted on November 4, confirmed “serious omissions and commissions” by the verification team and cited large-scale fraudulent practices in the compensation process. The panel has been granted an extension until November 30 to submit its final report.
“Local residents and civil society groups have alleged that genuine landowners were deliberately excluded while compensation was funnelled to fictitious beneficiaries. The revelations have sparked public outrage, with citizens demanding a transparent inquiry and recovery of misused government funds,” said a government official.
In an order signed by AK Singh, Secretary of the Land Management Department, the state government said the suspensions were issued in view of the “gravity of the findings” and will remain in effect until a comprehensive investigation is completed.
“The Frontier Highway, a crucial part of India’s strategic border infrastructure initiative, has encountered delays and disputes related to land acquisition and compensation irregularities. The latest findings have once again raised questions over transparency and accountability in the project’s execution,” said the official.
The government has assured that strict action will follow once the committee’s final report is submitted later this month.
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