HT Correspondent
ITANAGAR, July 8: In a press conference held at the Arunachal Press Club on Tuesday, social activist Sol Dodum levelled serious allegations of irregularities and corruption in the disbursement of land compensation for the Frontier Highway project in East Kameng district.
According to an official statement, Dodum pointed to several anomalies in the distribution of compensation under Package-I of the highway construction.
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He claimed that a large amount of compensation money—reportedly around ₹400 crore—had been sanctioned, with ₹240 crore already disbursed in East Kameng district from a total allocation of ₹260 crore.
He called on the Deputy Commissioner of Seppa to clarify the disbursal process and make public all relevant records to ensure transparency.
“The compensation paid must be shared with the public transparently. The process so far appears opaque and questionable,” Dodum said.
Citing a personal instance, the activist claimed that individuals with smaller land holdings near his property had received higher compensation amounts.
“There are cases where beneficiaries with less land than mine were paid significantly more. One Gaon Burah (GB) is among such recipients. In protest, I have returned the excess amount received by me to the district administration,” Dodum revealed.
He emphasized that his concern is not just personal but for all affected landowners.
“I do not want what happened to me to be repeated with other landowners and genuine beneficiaries,” he said.
Dodum demanded that the district administration and the state government conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.
“The anomalies must be investigated and the entire process revisited. Those involved in the irregularities must be held accountable,” he asserted.
He further stated that he has filed an RTI seeking details of the compensation disbursement and is currently awaiting a reply.
“If I do not receive a satisfactory response in a few days, I will take this matter to New Delhi. I intend to meet Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari and Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju to appraise them of the ground situation and seek their intervention,” Dodum added.
The compensation process relates to the ambitious Frontier Highway project, a strategic infrastructure initiative aimed at enhancing connectivity and security along India’s border areas in Arunachal Pradesh.
