ITANAGAR: The representatives of the victims of Hollongi airport rehabilitation scam have penned separate memorandums to key authorities demanding intervention against the Special Investigation Cell (SIC) of the Arunachal Pradesh Police.
In their memorandums to the Governor, Chief Minister, Chief Vigilance Officer cum Chief Secretary, and Director General of Police, they have alleged that the SIC is attempting to exonerate those accused in the Rs 27.51 crore rehabilitation scam without properly investigating the core complaint.
The heart of the controversy is the allegation that the compensation intended for displaced victims was not deposited directly into their bank accounts as mandated by law. Instead, a significant sum, amounting to Rs 18,20,23,8561, was transferred to the Chakma Rehabilitation and Resettlement Committee (CRRC).
On September 6, 2022, the SIC had registered an FIR against project officials and leaders of the CRRC, under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act. However, according to the Chakma Displaced Family Justice Demand Committee (CDFJDC), who initially filed the complaints, the SIC’s latest report suspiciously gives a clean chit to the accused.
In a direct counter to the SIC’s conclusions, the representatives of the CDFJDC highlighted their primary grievance in the memorandum. “…not a single paisa was transferred into the bank account of each of the beneficiary,” one of the memorandum’s read.
Koruna Sindhu Chakma, President of the CDFJDC, expressed concern that even a year after the registration of the FIR, the SIC has deliberately avoided investigating this crucial aspect.
The CDFJDC’s memorandum also touched upon other dubious actions of the SIC, including the justification of the cancellation of an expression of interest for a hefty contract without any tender process. It also questioned the SIC’s defense of changing project specifications without prior authorisation and spending exorbitant sums in anticipation of the Prime Minister’s visit, which reportedly wasn’t even scheduled.
Amid these allegations, the CDFJDC has sounded a warning, saying that they are prepared to take the matter to both the High Court and the Supreme Court if the SIC absolves the accused without investigating the proper allocation of rehabilitation funds.
