Arunachal Pradesh Cracks Down on Frontier Highway Scam: Four Officials Suspended, DC Faces Probe
Four officials have been suspended and the Deputy Commissioner faces disciplinary action in a multi-crore land compensation scam tied to the Frontier Highway project.
ITANAGAR– In a decisive move against alleged corruption in a high-stakes infrastructure project, the Arunachal Pradesh government has suspended four senior officials implicated in a multi-crore land compensation scam linked to the strategic Frontier Highway.
The action follows an interim probe revealing fraudulent payments, inflated valuations, and the exclusion of legitimate landowners, underscoring deepening concerns over transparency in border-area development initiatives.
The suspensions, announced Wednesday, target members of a Ground Verification Board responsible for assessing assets for compensation under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013.
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The board’s lapses occurred during the acquisition process for the 125.55-km Lada-Sarli stretch (Packages I to V) of the Arunachal Frontier Highway in East Kameng district, a critical segment of the 1,748-km corridor designed to enhance connectivity and security along the India-China border.
Officials in the DockThe suspended officials are:
- Abhinav Kumar IFS- DFO Seppa.
- Miram Perme- District Agriculture Officer.
- K. Tayum- District Horticulture Officer. AND
- Takam Kechak, District Land Revenue and Settlement Officer (DLRSO) and board member secretary.
These individuals, along with the board’s chairperson, were accused of conducting “wrongful, inflated, and fraudulent” evaluations, including disbursing funds for non-existent assets and bypassing mandatory ground surveys and public notifications.
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Compensation totaling several crores—deposited with the district administration on April 17, 2025—allegedly benefited fake claimants while genuine affected families were sidelined, sparking outrage among local landowners and activists.
In a related escalation, the state government has recommended the immediate suspension and disciplinary proceedings against Himanshu Nigam, AIS officer serving as East Kameng Deputy Commissioner and head of the verification board. As Nigam is a central deputationist, his case has been forwarded to the Ministry of Home Affairs for approval, highlighting the inter-ministerial complexities in tackling such graft.
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The irregularities came to light through a Fact-Finding Committee (FFC) constituted on August 13, 2025, under the chairmanship of the state’s Transport Commissioner. Comprising experts from departments like Public Works, Land Management, Forest, Agriculture, Horticulture, and Fisheries, the panel was tasked with investigating complaints of fraudulent assessments and beneficiary exclusions.
The FFC’s interim report, submitted on November 4, exposed “serious omissions and commissions,” including the failure to form a required multidisciplinary team for asset verification and the absence of proper notices during claim-and-objection periods.
Key findings included,
- Listing and compensation for fictitious structures and crops.
- Disproportionate payouts to non-landowners.
- No publicity of compensation details, violating procedural norms.
The committee’s deadline for a final report has been extended to November 30, signaling that further revelations—and potentially more accountability measures—may be on the horizon.
The Frontier Highway project, spearheaded by the Centre to bolster national security in Arunachal’s remote terrains, has been a flashpoint for corruption allegations amid rapid land acquisitions. Activists have long decried the opacity in such processes, arguing that scams like this erode trust and delay vital connectivity for border communities.
State officials, while declining immediate comment, emphasized the government’s zero-tolerance stance, with the suspensions serving as a “strong message” against malpractices.
As the probe deepens, eyes are on the Ministry of Home Affairs’ response to Nigam’s case and the FFC’s conclusive findings. For now, the scandal serves as a stark reminder of the challenges in balancing development with integrity in India’s sensitive northeastern frontier.
