Note: This article has been reviewed and rewritten on August 8, 2023, to incorporate the officer’s version of events. Armstrong Pame’s response to the Lokayukta’s charges – contained in his statement to the Lokayukta on September 22, 2022 – ought to have also been included in the original story and we regret its omission.
New Delhi: Acting on a complaint of procedural violations in how compensation was awarded in a land acquisition case in the state for a Railway project, the Manipur Lokayukta’s preliminary inquiry by the Lokayukta’s inquiry officer found that an IAS officer, Armstrong Pame, did “not give full care and attention in modifying the compensation award dated 15.06.2017” despite “multiple cases/Original suits [which] were pending”.
The officer had made a statement before the Lokayukta in September last year and denied the charges. He said he was an “upright officer” and had proceeded on the land acquisition matter in keeping with what court orders said on the award of compensation.
The Wire had reported in 2020 how residents of Marangjing village of Manipur had lost their farmlands and homes for building a railway by North East Frontier Railway (NFR) and yet did not receive compensation that was supposed to be awarded to them. It was based on their complaints that the matter was taken up by the state Lokayukta.
Based on its preliminary enquiry, the Lokayukta passed an order on August 2, which reads:
“Therefore, taking into and records in hand, Shri Armstrong Pame, IAS who was then DC TML is charged with criminal breach trust by public servant and serious dereliction of duty. With the two beneficiaries, Shri Thuankulung Gangmei and Shril Kh. Lovejoy, Shri Armstrong Pame IAS has colluded and conspired to take undue advantage, and hence charged with criminal conspiracy u/s 120A, 409 IPC, 13(1) (a) P.C. Act & fair Compensation and Section 87 of the right to Rehabilitation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Resettlement Act of 2013.”
But in his response to this preliminary inquiry by the Lokayukta in September 2022, Pame had submitted that the awards were “made on 21st March, 2017 by the then DC/LA Tamenglong B. John Tlangtingkhuma, [Pame’s predecessor in the district] with a remark that “the ownership of the land is under dispute and in the Hon’ble Court and Payment of compensation shall be made as per the decision of the Court”.
Pame said that the Original Suit No. 8 of 2016 before the Civil Judge Senior Division Tamenglong was rejected on 16th June, 2017 by the Hon’ble Court.”
Then on March 1, 2018, the court of the District Judge, Imphal West, did not find any merit in the complaints filed. Pame cited para 23 of the Order, “there is no failure on the part of the Collector, LA, Tamenglong” and therefore, he says, “as per the interpretation of the order, the award given by me as District Collector were justified and hence the amount transferred were allowed to be withdrawn to the concerned land owners.”
The land in question is in the Tupul-Imphal section of BG Railway Line. The notification dated February 25, 2015 was issued for 137.09 acre from village Makhuam (Marangching),Kharam Pallen and Pungmon, under the Right to Fair compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.
Note: This article has been reviewed and rewritten on August 8, 2023, to incorporate the officer’s version of events. Armstrong Pame’s response to the Lokayukta’s charges – contained in his statement to the Lokayukta on September 22, 2022 – ought to have also been included in the original story and we regret its omission.