ITANAGAR, SEP 22:
The Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) has constituted a state-level fact-finding committee on hydropower issues to undertake a field-based and document-driven examination of major hydropower projects in the state, with particular focus on the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) and the ongoing preparation of its Pre-Feasibility Report (PFR) in Siang and Upper Siang districts.
The committee, constituted under the leadership of APCC president Bosiram Siram, will examine official records, project documents, administrative orders, memorandums of understanding (MoUs), community representations, field conditions and available scientific and technical assessments before arriving at its findings.
The move comes amid continuing differences over PFR-related activities in the SUMP area. On September 21, Chief Minister Pema Khandu chaired a consultative meeting with officials from Siang and Upper Siang to discuss the project, its technical aspects and concerns raised by local communities. The government has maintained that SUMP is a project of national importance and has highlighted its proposed role in hydropower generation, water management, flood moderation and broader strategic and water-security considerations. It has also stressed the need for greater awareness and consultation with local stakeholders.
The APCC committee said it would examine both documented support and opposition to the PFR process rather than treating either position as representative of all affected communities. In February, 76 of the 120 households of Karko village signed an MoU with the state government supporting preparation of the PFR. By March, the number of households recorded as supporting the PFR had risen to 105.
At the same time, protests have been reported in Komkar and neighbouring villages against proposed PFR and drilling activities at Uggeng, one of the proposed dam sites. Residents have raised questions concerning the proposed activities and the manner in which project-related agreements were entered into. Security deployment in connection with PFR activities has also emerged as a concern, with paramilitary personnel reported at protest sites in September.
The committee will also examine the imposition of restrictions under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023. On September 7, the Upper Siang district administration imposed restrictions in the Geku area, citing apprehensions of protests and possible law-and-order issues linked to SUMP-related PFR activities. The order restricted assemblies of five or more persons, unauthorised public meetings and certain other activities.
According to the APCC, the fact-finding exercise will seek to establish the present status of the PFR process; identify potentially affected villages, land, forests, river areas and communities; and document the positions of individual households, village institutions and community organisations.
It will also examine the consultations held with affected communities, the legal and administrative basis for surveys, drilling, land access, restrictions on assembly and security deployment, as well as available studies concerning seismicity, geology, dam safety, downstream impacts, biodiversity, forests, river ecology and disaster risks.
The committee will further look into proposed or contemplated arrangements relating to rehabilitation, resettlement, compensation, livelihoods, employment and benefit-sharing, besides examining the terms and implications of MoUs signed between the government and affected communities.
The APCC said the committee would not begin with a predetermined conclusion and would seek documentary and field-based verification wherever conflicting accounts emerge. It would interact with project-affected families, indigenous community organisations, village institutions and traditional bodies, student and youth organisations, civil society groups, technical and environmental experts, government authorities, NHPC and other project agencies.
The committee said its broader objective was to prepare an evidence-based report on SUMP and, more generally, hydropower development in Arunachal Pradesh, with emphasis on documentary verification, field observations and the views of people directly connected with the proposed project areas.
It maintained that development objectives, strategic considerations and the rights and interests of local communities should be examined together through transparency, consultation and evidence, particularly in projects with potentially long-term social, environmental and economic implications.
The fact-finding exercise, the APCC said, would seek to verify the available facts, hear stakeholders and place the evidence before the public rather than substitute one narrative for another.
