HAC chairman flags major contract scam in hill districts
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, June 17 2025: Hill Areas Committee (HAC) chairman Dinganglung Gangmei has written to the union home secretary as well as Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, regarding massive scam in the awarding of government contracts in the hill and tribal districts.

The letter, sent on Monday, points to serious irregularities in developmental projects spanning education, health and road infrastructure.

In his communication, the HAC chairman accused a group of government officials of colluding with contractors and what he called "pseudo-constructors" to issue work orders at rates significantly higher than the sanctioned estimates.

He alleged that projects are being sanctioned and executed under the pretext of public development, but in practice they are undermining transparency, accountability and quality.

"This is a big scam and will be a serious embarrassment for the BJP Government," the MLA warned in his letter.

He called for immediate intervention by the Governor and demanded that the officials and contractors involved be held accountable before public funds are misused and hill communities are further alienated.

The chairman cited specific examples to highlight the scale of the alleged irregularities, including the issuance of multiple work orders for rigid pavement construction of roads at district headquarters and the construction of school and hostel buildings.

In some cases, he said, as many as 16 to 32 contractors were allotted works under a single package in the hill districts.

He raised doubts over the viability of executing such projects successfully given the tough terrain, transportation challenges, scarcity of construction materials and ongoing law and order issues in many parts of the tribal hill areas.

Calling the situation alarming, Dinganglung pressed for swift corrective measures to safeguard public funds and restore trust in the government's developmental initiatives.

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