Arunachal airport rehabilitation scam victims seek action over delay in submitting probe report

ITANAGAR: Representatives of the people who were displaced due to the construction of Hollongi airport in Arunachal Pradesh on Monday urged Governor Lieutenant General (Retired) Kaiwalya Trivikram Parnaik to probe the 'willful delay' of the Deputy Commissioner of Papum Pare district to submit the report on the Rs 27.51 crore rehabilitation scam matter.

According to two representatives of the group, Karuna Sindhu Chakma and Sanjay Chakma, the Special Investigation Cell (SIC) of the Arunachal Pradesh government had registered an FIR in 2022 into corruption and misappropriation of Rs 27.51 crore in Hollongi Airport rehabilitation matter and unearthed the embezzlement.

They claimed that a total of 156 Chakma community families were displaced due to the setting up of the Hollongi airport, 15 km from the capital city, Itanagar.

The state government sanctioned Rs 27.51 crore for the rehabilitation and resettlement of the displaced tribals, but the fund allegedly had been 'misappropriated'.

On March 10, 2021, the victims filed a complaint against the Chakma Rehabilitation and Resettlement Committee office bearers.

In its status report on June 5 to the Gauhati High Court (Itanagar Bench), the inquiry officer of the SIC stated that as on April 29, though three reminders were sent to the Deputy Commissioner, Papum Pare, the technical board report has not been submitted as yet and therefore, further proceedings could not be initiated.

"These facts expose beyond any reasonable doubt the systematic delay adopted by the Deputy Commissioner to complete the technical examination of the components of the rehabilitation and resettlement project.

"The IO in his status report on March 12 confirmed the allegations of corruption and criminal misappropriation of Rs 27.51 crore sanctioned for rehabilitation and resettlement of the 156 Chakma families displaced by the Hollongi airport," claimed Karuna Sindhu Chakma, President of the Chakma Displaced Family Justice Demand Committee (CDFJDC) and a signatory to the memorandum.

CDFJDC's Secretary Sanjay Chakma said that the systematic delay to complete the technical examination of the components of the rehabilitation and resettlement project only institutionalized corruption in the state.

"Given that the Deputy Commissioner is not responding to the Arunachal Pradesh Police despite three reminders so far, there is no other efficacious remedy than seeking the Governor's intervention to ensure immediate submission of the technical board report," Sanjay Chakma said. (IANS)

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