Hollongi airport R&R scam victims want action against accused
Seek state intervention against SIC’s attempt to give clean chit
Itanagar, Sep 4: The representatives of the Hollongi airport rehabilitation scam victims in their separate memoranda on Monday to the Arunachal Pradesh governor, chief minister, chief vigilance officer cum chief secretary and director general of police sought interventions against efforts of the anti-corruption cell of the state police to give clean chit to the accused of Rs 27.51 crore rehabilitation scam.
The Chakma Displaced Family Justice Demand Committee (CDFJDC) had filed complaints with the SIC against the project officials and leaders of the Chakma Rehabilitation and Resettlement Committee (CRRC) established by the Project Administrator i.e. Sadhan Kusum Chakma, author Paritosh Chakma from Mizoram, Bijoy Ranjan Chakma, Sambhasur Chakma, Dharma Chakma and others.
In its latest status report while giving clean chit to the accused persons, the SIC concluded that “the main issue is to ascertain whether commensuration of quality of works executed through the CRRC with the sanction funds of R&R exist on the ground”.
Countering this attempt to give clean chit to the accused, the representatives of the Chakma Displaced Family Justice Demand Committee in their memorandum stated that the first operative paragraph of our complaint categorically states that “under Sections 31(2)(b) and 77(1) of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act of 2013 (LARR Act), the compensation award shall have to be transferred/ deposited in the bank account of each beneficiary”.
In February 2019, the compensation for the standing assets (like agriculture/horticulture etc) was deposited in the bank account of each of the 156 displaced families in February 2019 but in February 2020 when it was transferring the rehabilitation and resettlement amount, over Rs 18.20 crore was transferred into the bank account of Chakma Rehabilitation and Resettlement Committee created by the Deputy Commissioner cum Administrator for Rehabilitation and Resettlement of the affected persons. But nothing was transferred to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries.
“However, one year after the registration of the FIR, the SIC has refused to investigate this particular aspect even though the bank statements of the CRRC with the Punjab National Bank, Itanagar Branch will reveal the truth as to whether the payments were made into the bank account of the displaced victims or not as required by the LARR Act. This investigation is not being done with the sole aim of giving clean chit to the accused,” said Koruna Sindhu Chakma, President of the CDFJDC.
The CDFJDC also highlighted various aspects of the SIC trying to give a clean chit to all the accused such as justifying the unilateral cancellation of expression of interest for the contract worth Rs 18.20 crore to build the houses and awarding the same to the CRRC without any tender; covering the criminal acts of the CRRC office bearers of changing the entire DPR specifications of the residential structures admittedly without “prior approval from any competent authority” as an act of good faith; and further justifying spending Rs 7.20 crore to clear the project site in anticipation of the proposed visit of the Prime Minister though the PM was admittedly not scheduled to visit the project site.
