Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, 5 Jan: Stepping up pressure on the state government, the East Kameng Social Welfare & Cultural Organisation (EKSWCO) has demanded immediate arrest of all government officials involved in the Lada-Sarli Frontier Highway land compensation scam, including former deputy commissioner Himanshu Nigam, heads of departments, brokers, and bank managers and officials.
Addressing a press conference at the Arunachal Press Club here on Monday, the EKSWCO’s Lada-Sarli Frontier Highway land compensation issue chairman Chopa Cheda Gyadom accused the state government of cherry-picking in making the arrests.
“Why has only district land revenue and survey officer Takam Kechak been arrested so far? Why is the state’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) not keen to take action against former deputy commissioner Himanshu Gupta, who was the chairman of the committee, and other government officials involved in the scam?” asked Cheda.
“Our question is why only Takam Kechak? He was merely a member. Why hasn’t the chairman-cum-then East Kameng DC Himanshu Nigam been arrested yet? Cheda added.
He reiterated that the EKSWCO is demanding that all bank managers involved be arrested “because the bank managers – be it of the State Bank of India or of private banks – colluded with the corrupt officials and the brokers in laundering public money in the scam.”
Cheda claimed that abnormal amounts were transacted through savings accounts and no verification calls were made while transferring the amounts.
On the report of activist Sol Dodum being targeted by the brokers’ family members and the society, the EKSWCO condemned such action and stated that no society should throw their weight behind fraudsters and corrupt persons.
Claiming that the ACB is a “toothless tiger” in investigating the highly sensitive Lada-Sarli Frontier Highway scam, the EKSWCO demanded that the case be handed over to the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation for further investigation.
“In Arunachal, corrupt people are being rewarded instead of punishment,” Cheda stated, citing the Potin to Pangin road and the Joram to Koloriang Trans-Arunachal Highway, “where most of the corrupt officers and people were rewarded with promotion and given bigger responsibilities by the BJP.”
Cheda further claimed that, even in the Seppa to Chayang Tajo NEC road case, “the majority of the corrupt officers whose names are on the ACB’s case list are being promoted.
“One of the alleged accused has been appointed as the state BJP council member,” he said.
Cheda urged the government to conduct departmental inquiry against all the suspended officers immediately.
He also appealed to alleged accused Takam Kechak not to shield other accused members in his statement to the ACB, saying that the EKSWCO would ensure that all accused are behind bars in the land compensation scam.
Cheda also appealed to the chief minister to “set an example against corruption in this particular land compensation issue.”
