Defence Ministry Acquires Land In Arunachal Pradesh’s Border Village
(This was originally posted in Economic Times by Nidhi Sharma)
The Defence Ministry has acquired 14.128 acres of strategic land in the State of Arunachal Pradesh about 30 kilometres away from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in a bid to establish military garrisons
Located in a small village of Yorni II in West Siang district of the State, the land’s acquisition by the Defence Ministry comes amidst heated situation on the borders against China on multiple fronts. The establishment of military garrisons at the site will lead to a ramp-up of the Indian Army’s presence near the LAC.
The land has been acquired under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act 2013 as per which any land can be acquired for defence purposes, railways and communication without the requirements of a gram sabha meeting.
The move to acquire land comes after a letter from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had pressed for establishing a “military garrison and locating various army detachments” on the said land.China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of southern Tibet, while India contests it. In its response to the report, the Ministry of External Affairs did not deny the presence of the village, but said that China had been carrying out such activities in the past too
