Itanagar— The Arunachal Pradesh government has suspended four senior officers and recommended disciplinary action against East Kameng Deputy Commissioner and IAS officer Himanshu Nigam for alleged irregularities in land compensation related to the Lada–Sarli stretch of the Arunachal Frontier Highway.
The action followed an interim report submitted by a Fact-Finding Committee (FFC) formed on August 13 under the chairmanship of the Transport Commissioner. The committee was tasked with investigating complaints from landowners and social activists about fraudulent assessments and the exclusion of genuine beneficiaries.
According to the Department of Land Management, the FFC’s interim findings, submitted on November 4, revealed serious discrepancies. Compensation was allegedly issued for non-existent assets, while several valuations were found to be “grossly inflated and fraudulent.” The committee also cited “serious omissions and commissions” by the officials responsible for ground verification and asset assessment.
Those suspended include Seppa Divisional Forest Officer Abhinav Kumar (IFS), District Agriculture Officer Miram Perme, District Horticulture Officer C.K. Tayum, and District Land Revenue and Settlement Officer Takam Kechak. The state government has also written to the Ministry of Home Affairs recommending the suspension of Nigam, who led the compensation verification board.
The controversy centers on the 125.55-kilometer Lada–Sarli section of the Frontier Highway, part of a key infrastructure project under the Centre’s Arunachal Frontier Highway initiative. The compensation award—sanctioned under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013—was deposited with the East Kameng district administration on April 17, 2025.
Several landowners alleged that the district administration bypassed public notifications and mandatory surveys, enabling fake claimants to receive payments while legitimate beneficiaries were ignored.
The FFC, comprising representatives from the departments of land management, forest, agriculture, horticulture, fisheries, and public works, has been directed to submit its final report by November 30.
The Arunachal Frontier Highway, stretching 1,748 kilometers along the India–China border, is a flagship project aimed at enhancing border connectivity, boosting regional development, and strengthening national security in the state’s remote frontier districts.
