Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu said the state government will take strict action against all those involved in the alleged land compensation scam linked to the Lada–Sarli stretch of the Frontier Highway project, making it clear that status or influence will not protect anyone.Replying to a zero-hour discussion raised by Congress MLA Kumar Waii in the Assembly, the chief minister said the government has already begun examining the bank accounts of several people suspected to be involved in the case. He told the House that anyone who illegally received compensation money would be made to return it to the government and would face legal action under the law.Khandu said a fact-finding committee was set up by the state government on August 30 last year to look into the matter. The committee submitted its report on November 5, following which five government officials were suspended. Based on the findings, three separate committees were also formed to reverify genuine landowners along the Lada–Sarli stretch, which is being built under five different packages. The re-verification process began on January 14 and the reports are expected to be submitted shortly.
Admitting that serious irregularities had taken place during the compensation process, the chief minister said there were cases where land values were either overestimated or underestimated. He assured the Assembly that all such errors would be corrected and genuine landowners would not be denied their rightful dues.Khandu also informed that the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has formed an inter-ministerial committee to investigate the issue. At the same time, the Enforcement Directorate has started a preliminary probe at its own level to examine possible financial violations.Giving details about the Frontier Highway project, the chief minister said the 1,840-km-long road runs from Bomdila in West Kameng district to Vijaynagar in Changlang district, close to the Indo-Bhutan and Indo-Myanmar borders. The project was sanctioned on March 19, 2018, after sustained efforts by the state government. Of the total length, 586 km will be executed by private agencies, 536 km by the Border Roads Organisation, and 718 km by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited.
The chief minister said the case has now been handed over to the State Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), which found that compensation paid in several cases was much higher than actual land value. So far, four people have been arrested and Rs 11.5 crore has been seized from their bank accounts. Investigations suggest that many more individuals may be involved.Acknowledging that corruption remains a challenge in Arunachal Pradesh, Khandu said it can only be eliminated through collective effort and strong institutions. He said the Special Investigation Cell, set up in 2005, arrested 142 officials between 2016 and 2025 after the BJP came to power, compared to about 20 arrests between 2005 and 2015.“Our vision is to make Arunachal Pradesh corruption-free. We are working as Team Arunachal and strengthening the Anti-Corruption Bureau to deal with corruption with iron hands,” the chief minister said.
