Siang dam: Apang, Congress demand SUMP be scrapped; HRA seeks talks

Two very different proposals on the 11,200 MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) were made public in Arunachal Pradesh on Sunday, hours before a shutdown called over the project in three districts of the Siang valley.

Former chief minister Gegong Apang issued what he called a "final ultimatum" to the state government to stop the pre-feasibility report (PFR) survey for good and cancel the project. Separately, the Human Rights of Arunachal (HRA) asked Chief Minister Pema Khandu to set up a joint dialogue committee so that the dispute can be settled through negotiation, The Arunachal Times reported.

Apang wants project dropped and a judicial probe

In a press statement issued in Itanagar on November 1, Apang, a long-time opponent of the dam, said he was speaking for the people of Upper Siang, Siang, West Siang, East Siang, Lower Siang, Dibang Valley and Lohit districts, and the Adi community in particular.

He also demanded a high-level judicial inquiry, headed by a retired Supreme Court judge, into corruption allegations made by anti-dam activist Katon Moyong against the chief minister and ruling party legislators over hydropower projects in the state. Apang said the government must "come clean" through an impartial inquiry. He called on Khandu to resign, saying the chief minister was responsible for the unrest.

These are allegations made by political opponents and have not been proven. The chief minister and the state government had not responded to Apang's statement at the time of writing.

Apang praised the students and youths who protested against the project in New Delhi last week and condemned the police action against those who gathered outside Arunachal Bhawan. He said the Adi people were peace-loving but would never accept the dam on the Siang.

HRA: talk to affected villages

The HRA struck a more conciliatory note. It proposed a joint dialogue committee made up of government representatives, leaders of affected villages, traditional leaders, community organisations, women, youths and independent experts.

The group said it recognised the importance of national security and energy development, but that the protection of indigenous communities, ancestral land, cultural identity and livelihoods must stay central to every decision.

Its suggestions to the government include:

• Sharing full information on the PFR, the project design, likely submergence areas, environmental impacts and displacement.
• Publishing detailed studies on seismic safety, landslides, flood risk, river ecology and downstream effects.
• Preparing a complete rehabilitation and resettlement plan covering land, homes, farm livelihoods, jobs, education, health care and cultural heritage, and obtaining consent wherever the law requires it.
• Setting up a permanent grievance cell that gives affected families timely written replies.

Congress joins call to scrap the project

On Monday, the Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) also demanded that the SUMP be scrapped, PTI reported. In a statement, the party said no development project should come at the cost of indigenous communities' ancestral land, identity, culture and livelihood, and that the prior consent of people likely to be affected was essential.

The APCC demanded the release of all arrested protesters, withdrawal of cases under the state's Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, revocation of suspension orders against government employees and withdrawal of cases against gaon buras who opposed the project. It also sought the withdrawal of additional security forces from the project area, compensation and medical help for injured protesters, and dialogue to restore peace, while urging people to keep the movement peaceful.

Bandh hits Upper Siang

The statements come as the SUMP Affected Area Youth Association (SAAYA) and the Siang Indigenous Farmers Forum enforce a 36-hour bandh in Siang, Upper Siang and East Siang districts from Monday, November 2, to protest the arrests of people who have opposed the PFR survey and the deployment of central armed police forces in the project area.

On Monday, normal life was hit in Upper Siang, where Deputy Commissioner Ashok Tajo said many offices, schools and shops were closed, mostly in Yingkiong and Geku. East Siang was affected, while Siang Superintendent of Police Kamdam Sikhom said there was no impact in that district, PTI reported. Read our report on the bandh.

The Centre sees the project as strategically important because China is building a giant hydropower project on the Yarlung Tsangpo, the river that enters India as the Siang. Opponents fear the submergence of villages, loss of farmland and forests and damage to the Adi community's way of life. Reports have said 27 villages could be submerged.

Chief Minister Khandu has said no decision on the dam will be taken until the pre-feasibility report is ready, and that the government is open to dialogue with those opposing it.