Correspondent
ROING, Oct 21: The Dibang Multipurpose Project Affected Families (DMPAF) has expressed anguish over alleged “betrayal” by the NHPC Ltd – which is executing the 2880 mw DMP – with regard to payment of compensation against their ancestral land.
The group also expressed exception over the “lackadaisical attitude of the government of Arunachal Pradesh towards the whole issue.”
Dibang Multipurpose Project Affected Area Committee IPR secretary, Handi Molo, said the NHPC has turned its back on the poor villagers of the DMP project area after all the requisite public hearings and formalities were done.
“The NHPC, along with the government, had conducted meetings after meetings with us to create ‘awareness’ on the pretext of clearing public hearings, pledging to compensate and fulfill what is morally, ethnically and rightfully ours. Now that the hearings have been conducted, they are not willing to pay us our compensation, denying us what is rightfully ours,” said Molo.
Stating that it would fight for the right of the families, the DMPAF said it has resolved to follow a ‘no compensation, no dam’ policy; oppose pre-construction activities or floating of tender, online or offline, for the project until the compensation issue is resolved; demand immediate withdrawal of the case pending before
the Gauhati High Court (HC); and seek “disbursement of compensation amount as per awarded.”
The NHPC had earlier filed a petition in the HC, challenging the implementation of compensation for land acquisition for the construction of the DMP in Dibang Valley district, claiming that the 1732.45 hectares of land is “a part of un-classed state forest area that does not belong to any individual, as it is not a private land.”
