ITANAGAR, 31 Aug: Social activist Chopa Cheda has once again approached the Arunachal Pradesh Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), alleging that no FIR has been registered so far on his complaint over alleged misappropriation and siphoning off of Rs 3 crore sanctioned for an ecotourism project in Balemu in West Kameng district.
In a representation submitted to the ACB superintendent of police on 29 August, Cheda sought immediate registration of an FIR and a probe into the withdrawal and utilisation of the funds, including verification of relevant banking, financial and departmental records.
The latest representation follows a complaint filed by Cheda with the anti-graft agency on 24 August against Vineet Kumar Jawal, the then divisional forest officer (DFO) of Khellong forest division and presently serving as the CEO of CAMPA. The allegations have not been independently verified.
According to the representation, records obtained under the Right to Information Act showed that a tender for the Balemu ecotourism project was accepted in favour of M/s GRN Enterprises for Rs 2.93 crore. It alleged that a cheque dated 24 March, 2022 for Rs 3 crore was, however, drawn in favour of 'self' in connection with the work.
Cheda, who is also the president of the Arunachal Publishers & Broadcasters Guild (APBG), further claimed that the proprietor of GRN Enterprises had stated in a 14 October, 2024 communication that the firm had not received any amount or bill towards the tender, describing the circumstances as a discrepancy requiring investigation. The claim was validated by Rinchin Norbu, the proprietor of M/s GRN Enterprises, who confirmed the sequence of events and said that, although his firm had been awarded the contract, it had not received any payment for the work.
The representation also cited an inspection report dated 24 July, 2025, concerning the physical status of the ecotourism building, and sought verification of the work actually executed against the government funds allegedly utilised.
Cheda said that, despite submitting the original complaint along with supporting documents, he had neither been informed of any action taken nor learnt of an FIR having been registered.
The controversy had surfaced earlier this month when Cheda had lodged the initial complaint with the ACB, alleging irregularities in the handling of funds earmarked for the Balemu ecotourism project.
He has now asked the anti-corruption agency to conduct a "fair and thorough" investigation and communicate the action taken on his complaint.
