PASIGHAT, 3 Sep: The Upper Siang district unit of the Siang Indigenous Farmer’s Forum (SIFF) has raised objection over the NHPC Ltd’s plan for balance survey and investigation/drilling work for the finalisation of the PFR of Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP).
In a letter addressed to the NHPC’s Siang Lower Hydroelectric Project’s Pasighat-based General Manager (Civil) Amar Nath Jha on Tuesday, the SIFF unit stated that no PFR survey or related activities should be carried out for the SUMP by the NHPC or any other authority/agency prior to submission of recommendation from the Siang Upper Multipurpose Development Committee (SUMDC) as well as consent of the stakeholders/dam-affected people.
The forum further claimed that despite the SUMDC under the chairmanship of former minister Tamiyo Taga, the SUMDC has consulted neither the stakeholders nor the local administration till date.
“Since its inception, the local populace/dam-affected people are continuously raising their concerns regarding the construction of the dam over the Siang river to the NHPC Limited, GoI and the GoAP, as the construction of the dam is a threat to the people’s very existence,” the forum said, and termed the NHPC’s decision to conduct the
survey/finalisation of PFR survey without the consent of the stakeholders/land-affected people “arbitrary, provocation and intimidation against the indigenous people residing in the Siang river basin.”
