ITANAGAR, 7 May: Landowners of Jayang Bagang and Kesse Bagang villages in East Kameng district have written to the chief secretary and the land management secretary, seeking their intervention into allegations of procedural lapses, statutory violations, and corruption involving the East Kameng district land revenue and settlement officer (DLRSO) and other officials in the land acquisition process for the Lada-Sarli Frontier Highway, particularly the stretch covering Packages 1, 2, and 5.
In their complaint letter, the landowners accused the DLRSO and other officials of manipulating records and bypassing procedures to facilitate compensation from the union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). They stated that the initial survey for the road was marred by gross procedural improprieties, and that “the preparation of the award proceeded in blatant disregard of mandatory legal requirements.”
According to the landowners, no ground assessment was conducted on the 24-kilometre stretch under Package 5, yet the DLRSO prepared the compensation award and managed to secure fund release from the MoRTH. They said that signatures of the affected families were solicited without actual ground survey, and that there was no transparency in the compensation calculations.
“Despite directives issued in January 2025 for re-verification of land records and surveys, no physical verification was carried out for Package 5,” the landowners added.
They also alleged that property assessments under Packages 1 and 2 – spanning around 50 kilometres – were conducted without their consent and without proper ground or joint survey.
Key records, such as final maps, AutoCAD area files, compensation estimates, and survey reports were either missing or suspected to be fabricated, the complaint noted.
A letter dated 8 April by the assistant engineer of the Seppa Highway Sub-Division corroborated some of these claims, confirming the absence of essential survey reports and pointing out that no assessment of dumping yards was carried out.
The landowners said that the process violated the Land Acquisition Manual, 2022, and provision of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013, which mandate transparency, joint surveys and accurate documentation. They also cited Section 85 of the Act, which deals with criminal liability in cases of fraud or non-compliance.
The landowners also questioned the credibility of the DLRSO, stating that the official had earlier been accused of financial misconduct and misappropriation of public funds earmarked for land compensation vis-à-vis the extension of the Naharlagun helipad, as per a prior complaint submitted by advocate Aman Bagang and Raja Bagang.
The landowners have sought an independent inquiry into the conduct of the DLRSO with regard to procedural violations, statutory non-compliance, and suspected corruption in the land acquisition process for the Lada-Sarli Frontier Highway (Package-5).
They also demanded immediate transfer of the DLRSO “to prevent further interference in the investigation process and to safeguard the integrity of the ongoing acquisition proceedings, particularly in light of his previous involvement in alleged financial misconduct.”
The landowners sought constituting of an independent fact-finding committee comprising officials unconnected with the present acquisition process to review the land acquisition in Package-5 and recommend corrective measures.
The landowners urged the chief secretary and the land management secretary to direct conducting lawful re-survey and re-verification of the affected plots in Package-5 “with full participation of the affected landowners and requisite departmental representatives, strictly adhering to the Land Acquisition Manual, 2022, and the RFCTLARR Act, 2013.”
They further called for handing over the matter to the CBI to unearth the truth.
“Failure to address these grave and substantiated concerns will compel us to exhaust appropriate legal remedies, including judicial intervention, to protect our constitutional and legal rights,” the landowners said. (With inputs from NewsFy)