Papum Pare villagers oppose 1,200-acre Army ammunition depot at Mepsoro

A proposal to set up an Indian Army Field Ammunition Depot over about 1,200 acres at Mepsoro village in Arunachal Pradesh's Papum Pare district has run into opposition from residents of the village and nearby settlements.

Mepsoro falls under the Toru administrative circle. Locals say they are worried about public safety, the acquisition of their land and what a large ammunition storage facility would mean for the villages around it, India Today NE reported.

Joint survey on Tuesday

A joint land survey of the proposed site was scheduled for Tuesday, November 10. The Deputy Commissioner, district officials, Army representatives, police personnel and local leaders were expected to take part.

Residents have asked the authorities to hear their objections before any further step is taken. They want the Army to explain the purpose of the depot, the safety arrangements planned for nearby homes, and how the project would affect people living in the area. They are also seeking clarity on how much land would be acquired and on what terms.

There was no immediate public statement from the Army or the district administration on the objections, and it was not known whether the survey went ahead as planned.

Why such depots matter to the Army

A Field Ammunition Depot is used to store ammunition and military stores close to operational areas so that units can be resupplied quickly. Arunachal Pradesh shares a long border with China, and the Army has been strengthening roads, storage and other logistics across the state over the past few years.

Defence projects in the state have often needed large tracts of community-owned land. Most land in Arunachal is held by indigenous communities under customary rights, which makes consultation with village councils and landowners central to any acquisition.

A familiar debate

Papum Pare, which borders the Itanagar capital region, has seen this debate before: in 2017 the state's land management minister inspected sites in the district after the Centre sought land for an ammunition depot and a cantonment, the Arunachal Observer reported at the time. Land acquisition for defence purposes has been a sensitive subject in several parts of Arunachal, with some families still pressing compensation claims decades after land was taken over.

Residents of Mepsoro say they are not against the Army but want transparency and proper consultation before a decision is made.

NEInsider will update this story when the district administration or the Army responds.