Zoramthanga slams Mizoram government over Lengpui land deal

Mizoram opposition leader and Mizo National Front (MNF) chief Zoramthanga on February 16 sharply criticised the state government over the alleged illegal procedures adopted in the acquisition of land for compensation purposes in the Lengpui airport expansion project.

Addressing the media in Aizawl, Zoramthanga said MNF candidates for the upcoming Aizawl Municipal Corporation elections had raised concerns about the unusually high price paid for land near Lengpui airport for the Indian Air Force (IAF). He maintained that while the IAF has long sought land in the region and surveys had been conducted in principle, the process followed by the state government was questionable.

He pointed out that although preliminary notification for the project was issued on May 15 last year under the 2014 amendments to the Land Acquisition Act, the process was later disrupted when the revenue minister allegedly cancelled the mandatory Social Impact Assessment (SIA), terming it unnecessary. Zoramthanga asserted that a minister cannot override an Act of Parliament.

According to him, before final notification was issued, over Rs 188 crore had already been deposited into the Aizawl Deputy Commissioner’s account for land acquisition. He alleged that compensation payments were released even before the final notification was published, bypassing established legal procedures. “They were in such a hurry to receive the funds that they bypassed legal procedures,” he said, adding that the government would have to defend its actions in court.

The controversy centres on the Rs 187.90 crore paid by the state government to acquire private land for the IAF. Earlier, the MNF and Congress had filed separate complaints with the Chief Vigilance Officer seeking a federal probe into the alleged irregularities.

Opposition leaders claimed that two individuals who were not the original landowners received substantial payments. They alleged that one person was paid Rs 70 crore and another over Rs 117.90 crore, while the actual landowners reportedly received little to nothing. The opposition also alleged that a process that typically takes years was “fast-tracked” in just 70 days.

The allegations further include waiver of the Social Impact Assessment and failure to notify village councils, both of which are mandated under the Land Acquisition Act of 2013.

The Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM)-led government has denied any wrongdoing and shifted the blame to the previous MNF administration. State Revenue Minister Lalchhanhima alleged that the earlier MNF government had attempted to sell the land permanently to the IAF during 2019–2021, which would have violated state land protection laws.

The issue has triggered a political showdown in the state ahead of the municipal polls, with both sides trading allegations over transparency and legality in the high-value land acquisition deal.