ITANAGAR, SEP 15:
The Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) on Tuesday opposed the reported deployment of large numbers of paramilitary and police personnel in Siang and Upper Siang districts in connection with survey, drilling and Preliminary Feasibility Report (PFR) activities for the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP).
APCC Secretary-cum-Spokesperson Johny Yangfo questioned the need for such a security deployment if the project enjoys the confidence and acceptance of the affected communities.
“You can deploy forces to control a situation, but you cannot deploy forces to win the trust of the people. Consent cannot be manufactured under the shadow of guns, administrative pressure or financial inducement,” Yangfo said.
The APCC said people of the Siang region were not opposed to development but had legitimate concerns relating to land, livelihoods, displacement, forests, biodiversity, cultural heritage, river ecology and seismic vulnerability. It said the ancestral homeland of indigenous communities should not be treated merely as a resource zone for power generation.
The party said the proposed SUMP, with an estimated capacity of around 11,000–11,200 MW, was a project of enormous scale and therefore required transparency, independent scientific scrutiny and meaningful democratic consultation.
The APCC demanded immediate withdrawal of what it described as excessive Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and paramilitary deployment from villages and project-survey areas and suspension of coercive project-related activities until a transparent consultation process is completed.
It also called for a structured and time-bound dialogue with affected indigenous communities, village institutions, kebangs, civil society organisations and other stakeholders. The party sought an independent Environmental, Social, Cultural, Geological and Seismic Impact Assessment by credible experts before any irreversible decision is taken.
The APCC further demanded that all relevant project documents, studies, maps, rehabilitation proposals and risk assessments be placed in the public domain. It sought clarity on the number of villages, families, agricultural lands, forests and culturally significant areas likely to be affected.
The party also opposed any alleged manipulation, inducement or selective procurement of consent and called for constitutional and legal safeguards for indigenous communities to be respected. It said participation in the decision-making process must be meaningful rather than merely procedural.
Reiterating that it was not against development or responsible hydropower generation, the APCC said it opposed any approach that sacrificed people, ecology, culture and democratic rights in pursuit of power generation.
“The Siang is not a battlefield. Its people are not adversaries. They are citizens, not subjects. Development must win the hearts and confidence of the people—not enter their villages under the protection of guns,” Yangfo said.
The APCC said it stood with the people of Siang in their “peaceful and democratic struggle” to protect their land, water, forests, culture, dignity and future.
