Anti-dam protests in Arunachal: 'Are we from Pak that govt silencing us?'

Siang dam protest turns violent as mob torches NHPC office and police station in Arunachal (File photo)

PASIGHAT: Adi organisations have alleged that the Centre’s push for the 11,200 MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) has turned the Siang region into a battleground in the strategic contest between India and China.They have vowed to resist the proposed dam, accusing the govt of overriding local opposition to the project.Adi Bane Kebang-United, one of the leading organisations spearheading the anti-dam movement in Arunachal Pradesh, alleged that nearly 80% of families in the affected villages opposed the project, warning the Centre and the state govt against proceeding with the proposed pre-feasibility study without the consent of local communities.Questioning the project’s strategic rationale, Datik Ratan, spokesperson for the organisation, argued, “Constructing an 11,200 MW dam on the Indian side would not necessarily mitigate the potential impact of a reported 60,000 MW dam on the Chinese side of the border. In our own country, they should not have created a scene as if the British had invaded our areas in the 19th century.”The proposed study involves drilling along the Siang river across Siang, Upper Siang and East Siang districts.

While some families have reportedly agreed to the study, the organisation claimed that opposition to the project remained overwhelming, with about 27 Adi-inhabited settlements facing the threat of displacement and submergence.“The govt is pushing ahead despite opposition from 80% of families in the affected villages. This is an assault on tribal rights and an encroachment on our ancestral lands. The govt is responsible for creating disturbances,” Ratan alleged.The organisation further accused the state govt of misleading the Centre to facilitate the survey and alleged that attempts were being made to silence dissent, including by blocking social media accounts of people opposing the project.Claiming that two of his Facebook accounts had been blocked, Ratan challenged chief minister Pema Khandu and the state govt to hold an open debate on the project, saying the protesters were ready to present their arguments with the help of experts.

“We are ready to debate with the central govt. There should be development, but it should not be forced by encroaching on the lands of local communities,” he said.