Arunachal villagers protest security put up for proposed dam
GUWAHATI
Villagers from three districts of central Arunachal Pradesh, on Friday (May 23, 2025), launched an indefinite sit-in at a site where security forces personnel have been deployed to facilitate the pre-feasibility report (PFR) and survey for a proposed 11,000 MW hydroelectric project.
The protesters are residents of villages in the Siang, Upper Siang and West Siang districts likely to be affected if the 11,000 megawatt Siang Upper Multi-Purpose Project (SUMP), entailing a 300-metre-high dam, comes up on the Siang River. Apart from the perceived ecological disaster, the villagers are against the dam as they refer to the river as 'Ane', meaning 'mother' in the language of the Adi indigenous community.
After confronting the Central armed police and State police personnel on Thursday, the villagers converged at Beging under the Siang Indigenous Farmers' Forum (SIFF) to say no to any activity that would lead to the mega-dam. Located in the Siang district, Begging is the survey site for the hydroelectric project pursued by the NHPC.
In a message to the district heads in December 2024, the State's Undersecretary (Home) sought accommodation and logistics facilities at several villages around the project site besides Begging and the district headquarters — Pasighat (East Siang), Boleng (Siang), and Yingkiong (Upper Siang). The message specified five companies of the central armed police forces near Begging and Parong villages.
The protesters, mostly women, shouted slogans and held placards conveying their opposition to the mega project. 'We cannot allow PFR for a project that will rob us of our ancestral land and livelihood, and, without PFR, land acquisition cannot happen,' a SIFF member said.
Protests erupt over Siang dam survey in Arunachal
He cited the 2,880 MW Dibang Valley hydroelectric project, where dam-building companies acquired land after the PFR was conducted.
The SIFF and affiliate organisations demanded the immediate withdrawal of the armed security personnel and a peaceful dialogue between the government representatives and the families who would be affected by the project.
The villagers said they have been opposing dams under the banner of the SIFF since the early 1980s.
'This forceful survey is a blatant violation of our fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution of India. We condemn this arbitrary abuse of power, which has profoundly hurt our sentiments for which we seek immediate intervention and remedy from government authorities and civil society organisations concerned,' the SIFF's Bhanu Tatak and Nith Paron said in a statement.
The opposition to the SUMP started brewing after the NHPC wrote to the Arunachal Pradesh government in July 2024, seeking round-the-clock security at the proposed sites for core drilling works and geophysical studies.
Chief Minister Pema Khandu backed the project, citing concerns over China's plan to construct a massive project on the Yarlung Tsangpo to generate 60,000 MW of electricity. Yarlung Tsangpo is the Tibetan stretch of the Siang, which becomes the Brahmaputra in Assam downstream after meeting two other rivers.
Mr. Khandu said projects such as the SUMP were necessary to counter the Chinese projects. He said Beijing, not a signatory to the International Water Conventions, could divert water from multiple reservoirs to drier parts of China.
'In such a scenario, the volume of water in Siang will reduce drastically, so much so that one will be able to cross it on foot during winters,' he said, also underscoring the possibility of China suddenly releasing water from its dams to cause devastation in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Time of India
Rs 2,000cr liquor scam: High court declares arrest of accused illegal
Prayagraj: The Allahabad high court has declared the arrest of Anwar Dhebar, accused in a money laundering case linked to the alleged Rs 2,000 crore Chhattisgarh liquor scam, as 'illegal'. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In its order passed on May 30, the court noted that Dhebar's arrest memo did not contain any column for the ground of the arrest of the petitioner and he neither was informed about the grounds of arrest, nor reasons for arrest. Allowing a writ petition filed by Anwar Dhebar, a division bench comprising Justice Siddhartha Varma and Justice Madan Pal Singh granted him bail in the FIR lodged against him at Kasna police station of GB Nagar in 2023. The court sent this judgment to the office of the director general of police (DGP), UP, directing him to get it circulated among all the police personnel of the state of Uttar Pradesh. "We are getting this circulation done as a technical error in many of the arrests is resulting in the declaration of the arrests as illegal", the court added. According to this FIR, M/s Prizm Holography Security Films Pvt Ltd, a company based in Site-5, UPSIDC, Greater Noida, was allegedly granted a tender illegally by the Chhattisgarh Excise Department in 2019 to supply holograms meant to ensure liquor authenticity. However, in connivance with top state officials, the firm supplied duplicate holograms, facilitating the sale of illicit country liquor from state-run shops. Senior IAS and ITS officers named in the case included Arunpati Tripathi (Special Secretary, Excise), Niranjan Das (Excise Commissioner), and Anil Tuteja. Also named are Anwar Dhebar, brother of the then Raipur mayor, and Vidhu Gupta, managing director of Prizm Holography. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The FIR claimed that holograms, both original and duplicate, were manufactured at the Noida facility. Almost 11 months later, on June 18, 2024, Dhebar, who had been granted bail by the Chhattisgarh high court at 9.20 PM in a separate case was arrested immediately by the Uttar Pradesh Police just 20 minutes later in Raipur itself. Following the arrest, the UP investigation officer (IO) applied for a transit remand under Section 167 of the CrPC before the Magistrate at Raipur, which was granted for 48 hours. Subsequently, on June 21, 2024, Dhebar was produced before the Special Judge (Prevention of Corruption Act), Meerut, who remanded him in judicial custody till July 1, 2024. This happened despite the petitioner having specifically objected to the arrest, arguing that it was in violation of Articles 19(1) and 22(1) of the Constitution of India, as well as section 50 of the CrPC, which mandates communication of the grounds of arrest, Dhebar's lawyer said. He then moved the high court, seeking a declaration that his arrest was illegal and void, and further prayed for the quashing of all subsequent remand orders. On the other hand, the additional advocate general for the state submitted that since there was a memo of arrest and the son of the petitioner had been informed about the arrest, it could not be said to be illegal, as the reasons were known to the petitioners. The court observed that the arrest memo did not contain any column stating the reason for arrest. Furthermore, no opportunity of hearing was given to the petitioner to oppose the custodial remand. Thus, the court concluded 'with some certainty' that the petitioner was never furnished with the grounds of arrest, as mandated under Section 50 CrPC (now Section 47 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Suraksha Sanhita). Thus, the court declared arrests illegal, however, it refused to interfere with the charge-sheet, which has been submitted. The court clarified that the court may continue with the proceedings in accordance with law as per the charge-sheet.
The Hindu
10 hours ago
- The Hindu
HC sets aside local court's gag order against media houses
Telangana High Court had set aside a gag order passed by a local court here against some newspapers, TV channels, web portals and media organisations directing them not report any defamatory content against Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited company and its management. A bench of Justices T. Vinod Kumar and P. Sree Sudha, allowing a batch of three appeals filed by media organisations, said the trial court's ad-interim ex-parte injunction order was 'unreasoned'. The said order was contrary to the mandate under Civil Procedure Code and hence impermissible, the Division Bench said. While passing such direction without issuing notices to the opposite parties, the court should record reasons as to why such order should be passed. The trial court passed the order but did not specify the time within which the respondents can get it vacated. This had deprived the appellants' right to file counter affidavit, the Bench observed. The two-judge bench observed that gag orders should be scrutinized though they were meant to maintain the integrity of legal proceedings. The courts should ensure that such gag orders did not infringe upon the fundamental rights like the right to free speech. These rights can be curtailed only in accordance with Article 19(2) of the Constitution of India. Citing a Supreme Court verdict, the Division Bench noted that 'freedom of speech and expression was construed to include the freedom to circulate one's views by words of mouth or in writing or through audio-visual instrumentalities. This included the right to propagate one's views through the print media or any other communication channel like radio or television subject to reasonable restrictions. The Bench also noted that the company filed the suits for damages nearly a year after the publication of news. The company also suppressed the fact that it had filed another suit in a court at Khammam seeking similar relief. This amounted to clear abuse of the process of law, the verdict said. Since the gag order was passed without adhering to established legal principles, it cannot be sustained, the Bench said.
The Print
10 hours ago
- The Print
Result of law and order collapse in Punjab: BJP's Tarun Chugh on Ambedkar statue defacement
An unidentified person defaced Ambedkar's statue with black paint in Nangal village in Phillaur sub-division of Jalandhar district, police said on Monday. In a statement here, the BJP national general secretary alleged that such incidents are a result of 'the complete collapse of law and order' in the state. Chandigarh, Jun 3 (PTI) BJP leader Tarun Chugh on Tuesday condemned the defacement of a statue of B R Ambedkar in Punjab's Jalandhar, saying the incident is a direct assault on the Constitution and the dignity of marginalised citizens who see Babasaheb as their guiding light. Chugh said the incident is not merely an insult to a statue, it is a direct and disgraceful assault on the Constitution of India, principles of social justice and dignity of millions of marginalised citizens who see Babasaheb as their guiding light. This is not an isolated incident. Earlier, a similar shameful incident took place near a police station in Amritsar, he said. 'Each time such incidents occur, the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government has chosen to stay silent. This consistent indifference and inaction expose the complete collapse of law and order in the state and reflect a dangerous apathy toward issues that affect the soul of our democracy,' the BJP leader alleged. 'It appears that Bhagwant Mann is either in a deep slumber or is too busy entertaining his Delhi boss Arvind Kejriwal and his political guests to notice what is happening in Punjab,' he said. Chugh said Ambedkar is not just an icon of the marginalised, he is the soul of India, the architect of the Constitution, and a symbol of equality, dignity and justice. 'If today, even his statue is not safe in Punjab, it exposes the glaring failure of this government and its lack of political will to uphold constitutional values,' he claimed. He asked whether Punjab is now heading towards a situation where even the ideals of social justice and harmony are no longer safeguarded. Chugh demanded the immediate arrest of the culprit and strict legal action in the matter. PTI CHS DIV DIV DIV This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
