East Kameng Social Welfare & Cultural Organisation flags ‘serious lapse’ in frontier highway probe

The East Kameng Social Welfare & Cultural Organisation (EKSWCO) has urged Transport Commissioner and Fact-Finding Committee chairman Saughat Biswas to immediately conduct field verification of Packages 1 and 3 under the Lada–Sarli Arunachal Frontier Highway, alleging that the two segments have been completely overlooked during the ongoing investigation into compensation and alignment-related irregularities. 

In a memorandum submitted on Tuesday, EKSWCO’s ‘Lada–Sarli Arunachal Frontier Highway Scam’ issue chairman Chopa Cheda said the fact-finding committee, constituted by the state government on 13 August 2025, has already inspected Packages 2, 4 and 5 but inexplicably skipped Package 3 despite repeated requests from affected villagers.

Terming the omission a “serious lapse,” Cheda said the failure to verify the stretch has created anxiety among beneficiaries and local stakeholders, and has raised concerns about the fairness, transparency and credibility of the final report. 

He emphasised that proper scrutiny of Packages 1 and 3 is essential to ensure just compensation, prevent future land-related disputes and avoid the possibility of the government being compelled to reopen the matter, which could lead to further delays and administrative complications.

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The organisation urged Biswas to undertake a field verification exercise within the next two to three days, ahead of the government’s November 30 deadline for submission of the final report. 

EKSWCO said timely intervention is critical to safeguard public interest and uphold confidence in the ongoing inquiry into alleged irregularities in the Lada–Sarli Frontier Highway compensation process. It was informed that the Commissioner has assured the organisation that a re-verification survey will be conducted in the coming days.

The Fact-Finding Committee comprises representatives from the land management, forest, agriculture, horticulture, fisheries and public works departments, and has been granted time until 30 November 2025 to finalise and submit its report. 

Meanwhile, Cheda noted that a meeting of EKSWCO executive members, clan-based groups, social workers, activists, student bodies, affected landowners and other stakeholders has been scheduled for 29 November to deliberate on collective grievances and frame a unified resolution to be submitted to the government for necessary action.