Editor,
Five more mega-dams are planned in the Idu-Mishmi belt, and we should not be surprised if the government of Arunachal Pradesh proposes another 100 mega-dams in the same area. What has emboldened the government of Arunachal to propose so many mega-dams in the Idu-Mishmi belt? Is it the desperate greed of the Idu-Mishmis or the government of Arunachal? I am deliberately using ‘Mishmi belts’ because ‘Mishmi Hills’ is now a matter of the past; it is now NHPC Hills.
Opinions:
- Why do we need such an excessive number of mega-dams in the Idu-Mishmi belt?
- Is it sensible to keep selling ancestral community land to power developers?
- How long will the Idu-Mishmis continue to sell their land? Is there a threat of them becoming landless in the future?
- Some of you have gained exponentially by purchasing land from poor, uninformed Idu-Mishmis and then selling it to power developers. However, in this process, these vulnerable individuals become even poorer, landless, and are fading away in the ruthless crowd forever.
- Does the compensation truly benefit the community? Or does it primarily benefit a core team of politicians, bureaucrats, engineers, officials, businessmen, and middlemen?
- The terms ‘affected families’ and ‘non-affected’ might be technically accurate but are illogical, as the mega-dams such as NHPC DMP 2,880 MW or SJVN Limited are going to impact the entire Idu-Mishmi community.
- Despite the inevitable result of so many mega-dams upstream, why is the downstream not being considered? Why are cumulative studies not being carried out?
- Over 54 sq kms of land has already been sold to NHPC DMP 2,880 MW, and with five more upcoming mega-dams, many more kilometres of land will be sold to power developers.
- NHPC Limited and the Himachal-based SJVN are now landowners in Lower Dibang Valley and Dibang Valley. As they are the landowners, why would they require an inner line permit (ILP)? What is the purpose of the protected area permit and restricted area permit?
- Save Monpa Region Federation Monks are resisting mega-dams in the Tawang river basins, citing that the loss of the wintering site of the black-necked crane would be tantamount to losing a critical part of Buddhist culture. On the other hand, Idu-Mishmis are in the process of selling holy rivers, mountains, souls, spirits, insects, birds, and more.
Tone Mickrow