ITANAGAR, 10 Jul: The North East Human Rights (NEHR) organization has urged the Government of Arunachal Pradesh to accurately convey the ground realities regarding the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) to the prime minister during the high-level meeting scheduled for 15 July in New Delhi.
The NEHR in a letter to the chief secretary requested him to ensure that accurate and comprehensive reports, reflecting the human rights violations and the strong opposition from the project-affected families (PAF) are submitted to the prime minister during the meeting.
The meeting, to be chaired by the principal secretary to the prime minister, has been convened to discuss the implementation of the SUMP, including progress at the drilling sites, the status of communication strategy of the NHPC, the status of the model village and livelihood programme, the status of the 600 msl alternative road, and the proposed new township.
The human rights organization drew the chief secretary’s attention towards the serious concerns surrounding the project, particularly the human rights violations and widespread opposition from the PAFs.
“We have been closely monitoring the developments related to the SUMP and have noted with concern the numerous human rights violations reported in the project area,” the letter read.
It stated that majority of the PAFs have consistently expressed their opposition to the dam and have resisted the imposition of pre-feasibility report activities.
The organization further stated that several memoranda and letters have been submitted to the government, and multiple meetings have been held with the affected communities. In all these engagements, the villagers and PAFs have unequivocally voiced their opposition to the dam, reflecting the ground realities, the organization said.
“This will enable a fair and informed discussion on the SUMP and its implications for the affected communities,” the NEHR said, and urged the chief secretary to take up the matter with seriousness and act in the greater interest of the wellbeing of the affected families.