Itanagar: Residents of Komkar village in Upper Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh on Wednesday protested against the 12,500-mw Siang Upper Multipurpose Project and deployment of security forces for conduct of a pre-feasibility report (PFR) in the affected districts.
Holding banners and placards, the protestors, mostly women, shouted, ‘No Dam, No Survey, No Army’. They also shouted slogans against the government citing socio-environment concerns like displacement, loss of ancestral lands, and threats to biodiversity.
They also accused the government of violating the rights of the people and demanded immediate withdrawal of the security forces and suspension of the project.
The protest assumes significance as Chief Minister Pema Khandu will visit Boleng in Siang district on Thursday to inaugurate the district hospital and circuit house at Boleng and later attend a Thanksgiving party of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Ojing Tasing.
On December 6 , the Siang district administration had written to Rebo-Perging circle officer to engage gaon buras and panchayat leaders of Riew village to help in repair and maintenance of the Riew government primary school for the accommodation of the CAPF team on self-help basis.
It sparked outrage as the project-affected people led by Siang Indigenous Farmers Forum (SIFF) objected to the conduct of the survey and PFR for the project.
SIFF has been seeking a halt on the pre-feasibility survey and related activities until proper consent is obtained from stakeholders and land-affected individuals, claiming that the dam construction over the Siang River threatens the very existence of local people. It had accused the state government and power developers of not following the Gauhati High Court’s order that cancelled dams on the Siang.
In 2022, the Gauhati High Court cancelled all 44 dams proposed on the Siang River. The government had also told the court that all dams had been cancelled.
Anti-dam activists also criticized the state government for its move to deploy CAPF personnel in Riew village to facilitate PFR for the Siang dam project. “The heavy security deployment is intended to intimidate local residents opposing the project,” they said.
They also questioned the necessity of deploying such forces for a project in its initial stages. Terming the move as excessive and unwarranted, activists argued that the affected families, not the government, hold the sole authority to approve the project and pointed out that locals have already rejected the proposal. “The deployment of CAPF personnel in Riew village is an attempt to silence local opposition,” they had said.
