ITANAGAR, 12 Jul: The People of Riga village in Siang district have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the state government to support the conduct of pre-feasibility report (PFR) for the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP).
The memorandum was signed in a meeting held here on Friday afternoon in the presence of Chief Minister Pema Khandu, Minister Ojing Tasing and Chief Secretary Manish Kumar Gupta.
Khandu mentioned that more than 80 percent of houses in the village have pledged to support the PFR.
The Chief Minister re-committed to holding deliberations with all the likely project affected families after conduct of the PFR. He further assured that the government remains committed to seeking and acting upon public opinion and seeking public consent at every stage of pre-construction activities for the SUMP.
Tasing, who hails from Siang, informed that the MoU has been signed after more than six months of detailed deliberations held with all households of Riga village.
He also spoke about the fact that Riga is the maternal village for most of the Minyong tribes, and that migrants from Riga village had in the past established 47 other villages, while continuing to maintain close familial and emotional ties with Riga village.
He expressed hope that other villages, including those sharing a common past, would also support in the conduct of the PFR for this national project.
Speaking on the occasion, representatives of Riga reiterated their steadfast determination and commitment towards working in the national interest and in the interest of ensuring a safe, prosperous and sustainable future for the Siang belt and the Adi community.
However, Siang Indigenous Farmers Forum (SIFF), which is leading the movement against the dam project, alleged that the GoAP has coerced the BJP workers from the village into signing the MoU.
The SIFF claimed that it is meaningless, as people from 27 affected villages are “against” the project.
SIFF president Lamok Padun accused the state government of pushing for the project by forcing BJP workers from Riga village to agree to sign for the MoU.
Padun disclosed that SIFF will hold a rally in protest against the development at Geku in Upper Siang district on 14 July.
The project, with an estimated installed capacity of 11,000 MW, has been facing opposition from local communities, since the proposal first came up in 2017, due to concerns about displacement, livelihood loss, and environmental impacts.
Till recently, people were against the PFR survey. Now the state government has taken another route- engage in dialogue – highlighting the project’s benefit and promise to hear the concerns of the people affected by the project. (CM’s PR Cell with PTI input)
