Nongpoh, August 18: Christabell Wanniang, General Secretary of the Civil Society Women’s Organisation (CSWO), has come out strongly to allege irregularities and corruption in the compensation process for land acquired for the construction of the High Speed Corridor, or the new National Highway-6, in Ri-Bhoi District.
She raised the issue after examining a notification issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, in which she found that the name of a village headman appeared in the list of people eligible to receive land compensation, despite allegedly not owning any land.
The High Speed Corridor is the new National Highway-6 project proposed to connect Umiam with Silchar. The Central Government has sanctioned Rs 22,864 crore for the project, which will cover a distance of 166.8 km. Wanniang said she had particularly raised concerns regarding the stretch from Umiam to Umroi Nongrah.
Speaking to the media, Wanniang said she took up the matter after receiving complaints from some residents of the area. During her inquiry, she claimed to have found that the name of the Umeit village headman, Phrandingstar Malngiang, appeared in the notification with five plots of land listed under his name, although the land allegedly belongs to the village and not to him personally.
“I strongly oppose this alleged corruption. How can a village headman dare to submit his own name for land that is owned by the village?” Wanniang said. She further alleged that there could be something happening behind the scenes involving the village executive, while the general public remained unaware of the matter. She claimed that the process had reached the stage of a public hearing without any village meeting being held or the knowledge of the villagers.
She also stated that a village headman has no right to claim ownership over community land when he does not personally own any land there. She questioned how his name could appear as a beneficiary for land belonging to the village.
Also read: Former Chief Secretary Rebecca Suchiang No More
Wanniang further alleged that such irregularities may not be confined to Umeit alone and could potentially exist in other villages along the route of the proposed New National Highway-6, or High Speed Corridor.
She clarified that her initial investigation was limited to the stretch from Umiam to Nongrah, Umroi, and said the organisation would continue following up on other areas through which the new highway is proposed to pass.
Drawing a comparison with the Western Bypass, she alleged that a number of middlemen could emerge and offer landowners commissions of up to 10 per cent. She expressed apprehension that a similar situation could occur along the High Speed Corridor, alleging that certain departments and influential individuals could be involved.
Wanniang therefore demanded that the public hearing be conducted afresh and that the names of those who do not own land, including the Umeit village headman whose name allegedly appears in the list, be removed.
She warned that if the concerned authorities failed to take action, the CSWO would not hesitate to approach the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India, with a formal complaint.
Also watch:
“This is only the beginning, starting with Umeit. We will investigate the entire stretch along which this road is proposed. If the organisation finds that there has been corruption, we will not hesitate to go all the way to Delhi and lodge a complaint directly with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways,” she added.
