Over 600 villagers protest against 2,500 MW dam in Arunachal, fear mass displacement
File Photo: Protestors staged demonstrations against Siang Upper Multipurpose Project
Image Source: Int'l Indigenous Peoples Movement/X
Guwahati, Oct 6: Hundreds of villagers gathered in Arunachal Pradesh’s Upper Siang district to protest against the proposed 12,500 MW hydropower project, Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP), recently.
Organised by the Siang Indigenous Farmers Forum (SIFF), the protest saw around 600 residents from Geku village raising slogans against the National Hydro Electric Power Corporation (NHPC) and Chief Minister Pema Khandu.
The Adi community, represented by the SIFF, voiced concerns over the potential environmental and cultural impacts of the SUMP.
"If the dam is constructed, the wet rice fields and several villages will be submerged, depriving us of our indigenous rights," said Donggo Libang, general secretary of SIFF, during the demonstration.
Protesters have specifically opposed the preliminary studies being carried out in the region, fearing that the project would threaten their way of life and displace around 1.5 lakh people in the Adi belt of Siang and Upper Siang.
SIFF members highlighted that previous discussions with Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein in July had ended inconclusively.
Notices were also served to several government employees and village heads last month for their participation in anti-dam protests.
The NHPC has proposed three potential sites for the dam, with locations between Parong and Deging villages, Ugeng near Riga village, and between Ditte-Dime and Geku.
Protesters, however, remain firm in their opposition, warning that the project could lead to mass displacement similar to the Chakma-Hajong refugee crisis.
