Arunachal's Siang indigenous forum challenges validity of support for mega hydropower project

Itanagar, Aug 16 (PTI) Arunachal Pradesh's Siang Indigenous Farmer’s Forum (SIFF) on Saturday challenged the validity of household approvals backing the pre-feasibility report (PFR) for the proposed 11,000 MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP), alleging that the number of supporting signatories has been "grossly exaggerated".

Addressing the media, SIFF spokesperson Tagori Mize said an RTI reply revealed that only 277 out of 429 households in Riga village had endorsed the project, contrary to the 329 claimed by the Siang Upper Project Multipurpose Dam Committee (SUPMDC).

"Several names included in the list do not own land in the project area, making the consent process flawed," Mize alleged, citing 17 cases of false entries.

On August 5, SUPMDC announced that villagers had given their ‘irrevocable consent’ for the PFR study.

SIFF claimed the procedure lacked credibility and further accused the committee of spreading misinformation about corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds and upfront payments, which the hydropower department has denied through RTI findings.

The forum has announced a traditional Bogum Boka Kebang meeting at Geku on August 20, calling on community organisations, student bodies and legislators to support its demand for amending Article 371-H of the Constitution, which grants special provisions to the northeastern state.

The project, conceived by NHPC in 2009, is envisioned as one of the largest hydropower projects in India with a proposed reservoir capacity of nearly 9 billion cubic metres.

Alongside power generation, it aims to support irrigation and flood moderation in the Siang basin. PTI COR UPL UPL MNB