Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, 17 Oct: The East Kameng Social Welfare & Cultural Organization (EKSWCO) and the East Kameng district unit of the All Nyishi Youth Association (ANYA) on Friday demanded immediate suspension of East Kameng Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Nigam, District Land Revenue and Survey Officer (DLRSO) Takam Kechak and other officials involved till the fact-finding committee (FFC) report on the Lada-Sarli Frontier Highway land compensation scam is submitted.
Addressing a press conference on Friday, ESKWCO general secretary Kasung Cheda said that prima facie it appears that the DC and the DLRSO were involved in the anomalies and discrepancies in disbursing the land compensation amounts, leading to public hue and cry. “They should be put under suspension immediately till the FFC submits its report,” Cheda said.
He added that if the DC and the DLRSO continue to remain in their posts, it might give them undue advantage while the FFC is carrying out the reverification process, as they might manoeuvre around and influence the verification team.
“If they are holding the chairs while the FFC is carrying out verification, there is high possibility of misusing the power. So, to ensure a free and fair assessment, the DC and the DLRSO should be put under immediate suspension,” reiterated Cheda.
The EKSWCO demanded that the state government initiate the suspension procedure against the two officers, and urged the chief secretary to recommend suspension against the DC by sending a letter to the union Personnel and Training Ministry.
The organization further said that it is serious about the Frontier Highway and would stand firm with the deprived and genuine project-affected people.
“The controversies and anomalies shouldn’t be the reason to stall and delay the project. The EKSWCO’sstand is clear: we want the project to be completed,and at the same time, whoever is involved in discrepancies and scam should be taken to task,” it added.
It urged the FFC to carry out ground verification of all the packages, such as Packages 2 and 3, which fall under the Bameng administrative circle, and Packages 4 and 5, which fall under the Sawa and Chayang Tajo administrative circles.
“The FFC headed by IAS officer Saugat Biswas should carry out impartial reverification of all the packages. How come the FFC covered 129 kilometres within 2-3 days? The entire assessment is a month-long exercise; how come it ended in just two days?” the EKSWCO questioned.
It further appealed to the state government to “make the EKSWCO one of the members of the FFC to ensure free and fair verification.”
Meanwhile, ANYA East Kameng unit president Ramesh Taku also demanded that the FFC carry out a free and fair reverification along the entire stretch of the road, and urged the government not to transfer the officers till they are proven innocent.
