TAWANG, 17 Mar: In a show of widespread public discontent, hundreds of residents here staged a peaceful protest rally on Tuesday against alleged corruption, procedural irregularities, and lack of transparency in the tendering processes handled by the public works department’s (PWD) Tawang division.
The rally began at the Buddha statue, where the participants gathered before marching to the PWD executive engineer’s office and the deputy commissioner’s office.
The protestors voiced strong resentment over what they described as opaque practices in awarding contracts worth multiple crores of rupees under schemes such as the State Infrastructure Development Fund (SIDF), Rural Engineering (RE), and others.
According to the protesters, several recent tenders were floated without following proper guidelines or ensuring transparency.
A key grievance highlighted was that the local MLA was reportedly kept in the dark about ongoing developmental works and proposals in the Tawang constituency, undermining accountability and public representation.
The rally focused on ensuring that all developmental activities in the area involve the knowledge and participation of the elected representative to safeguard public interest.
The protesters demanded immediate transfer of Executive Engineer Tadar Nyakpu and Assistant Engineer Jumpe Ete from the PWD Tawang division. They also demanded a departmental inquiry against the executive engineer and the assistant engineer.
They further demanded immediate cancellation of the notices inviting tenders (NITs) issued on 11 February, 5 March, and 13 March, 2026.
Further, the protestors called for strict enforcement of transparent tendering procedures for all projects valued above Rs 50 lakh.
A formal memorandum mentioning all the demands was submitted to the deputy commissioner. The protestors served a week’s ultimatum to the authorities for a satisfactory resolution.
“If the demands are not addressed within the stipulated timeframe, the people will be compelled to launch an indefinite democratic movement,” a protester stated, emphasising the commitment to peaceful and democratic means.
The protest underscores growing public frustration in the border district over governance and infrastructure development issues. Local authorities have yet to issue an official response to the allegations, or the submitted memorandum.
This development comes amid broader discussions in Arunachal Pradesh on transparency in public works and departmental accountability.
