ITANAGAR, 3 Feb: Several organisations of Nari-Koyu in Lower Siang district have appealed to the state government to reconsider its decision to establish the district headquarters of Lower Siang in Siji.
The Ramle Banggo Welfare Society (RBWS), Ramle Banggo Students’ Union, Ramle Banggo Youth Forum, senior citizens and intellectuals of Nari-Koyu on Tuesday staged a peaceful dharna in front of the Lower Siang deputy commissioner’s office in Likabali, and submitted a representation to the chief minister, urging him to reconsider the cabinet decision declaring Siji as the headquarters of Lower Siang district.
In its representation, submitted on behalf of the people of Nari-Koyu, the RBWS stated that the people are still in “a state of deep shock” after the e-cabinet meeting held on 23 February, 2022, declared Siji as the permanent headquarters of Lower Siang district, ignoring the feasibility report submitted on 6 February, 2020 by the committee headed by the Lower Siang deputy commissioner.
Narrating details, the RBWS stated that the demand for a separate district was initiated by the people of Nari-Koyu, who were later joined by the people of Likabali after some mutual agreements between the people of both the constituencies, leading to the formation of the District Demand Joint Action Committee (DDJAC) with Sengo Taipodia as its chairman.
It stated that a joint meeting was convened at Likabali on 25 July, 2010 by the DDJAC under the chairmanship of Taipodia. The meeting, which was attended by all public leaders, senior citizens, intellectuals and the public of Nari-Koyu and Likabali constituencies, decided that the permanent headquarters of Lower Siang be established in Sikirima and the temporary headquarters in Likabali.
Accordingly, the DDJAC had submitted a representation to the chief minister on 7 January, 2013, reiterating the decision of the general body meeting of 25 July, 2010 to establish the permanent headquarters in Sikirima, the temporary headquarters in Likabali, and “departmental sharing between Likabali and Nari until infrastructure development at Sikirima is completed,” the representation said.
Additionally, it said, a memorandum was submitted to the chief minister on 2 March, 2013, signed by all the Galo legislators, wherein it was unanimously adopted that the permanent headquarters of Lower Siang would be in Sikirima and Likabali would function as temporary headquarters until the infrastructure are developed in Sikirima.
“As such, the Arunachal Pradesh legislative assembly approved the Arunachal Pradesh (Reorganisation of Districts) (Amendment) Act, 2013 and thereby constituted a separate administrative unit to be known by the name ‘Lower Siang district’,” the representation stated.
“Thereafter, numerous representations had been submitted to the government by Galo Welfare Society, DDJAC, etc, to declare Sikirima as the permanent headquarters of Lower Siang, but to utter shock and dismay, the state cabinet on 7 February, 2017 decided to declare Garu as the district headquarters of Lower Siang,” the representation read.
“Thereafter, another round of struggle was faced by the people of Nari-Koyu. The state government, respecting the sentiments of the people of Nari-Koyu, formed a high-power group of ministers (GoM) to examine and assess the issue pertaining to the functionalisation of Lower Siang district. The GoM also favoured Sikirima a permanent headquarters of Lower Siang district,” the representation said.
However, “with no consensus among the people of Lower Siang regarding the permanent headquarters, the Lower Siang deputy commissioner constituted a committee to carry out feasibility survey of all the proposed locations for establishment of the permanent headquarters. The committee, after conducting an extensive survey, submitted the reports to the Lower Siang deputy commissioner on 17 January, 2020, wherein it found Sikirima to be most feasible for permanent headquarters of Lower Siang in all parameters and recommended that the government declare Sikirima as the permanent headquarters of Lower Siang district,” the RBWS said.
“But, to utter shock and dismay, the state cabinet through an e-cabinet meeting on 23 February, 2022, declared Siji as the permanent headquarters of Lower Siang, ignoring the feasibility report submitted by the deputy commissioner and all other previous decisions in the matter,” the representation read.
Following the declaration, the people of Nari-Koyu knocked on the door of the National Green Tribunal [NGT], eastern zone. The NGT stayed all forms of construction in the proposed district headquarters in Siji on 06.01.2023 while hearing the original application No 102/22/EZ, the society said.
In its final judgement on 03.05.2023, the RBWS said, the tribunal continued the stay of any form of the construction activities at the proposed site and directed that they obtain appropriate notification and forest clearance from the union environment, forest & climate change ministry to start any activities in Siji.
“But, instead of obtaining forest clearance, the department has diverted 19 ha of forest land in Siji for construction of the district headquarters and started constructions without fulfilling the conditions as provided in ministry letter number F No 3AN C 244/2024GHY/139-140, dated 5 June, 2025, which compelled us to challenge the diversion of 19 ha forest land of Siji for establishment of district headquarters in Siji at NGT again and serve a contempt notice to the departments concerned,” the representation read.
It stated that the NGT case is, in fact, a matter raised for protection of the Kane Wildlife Sanctuary and the centuries-old elephant corridors existing in the vicinity.
“There would be huge irreparable loss to the Kane Wildlife Sanctuary and the elephant corridor if a district headquarters like human settlement comes up in the proposed area,” the society stated.
It further stated that many land donors have turned hostile and withdrawn their donated land earlier pledged for the proposed district headquarters.
The RBWS further stated that some residents of Likabali, near Siji area, are reportedly contemplating filing PILs against the unplanned and unregulated construction activities in Siji and the ‘unilateral’ decision made by a few individuals without involving the people of both Nari-Koyu and 28 Likabali assembly constituencies.
The society urged the chief minister not to lay the foundation stone of the district headquarters in Siji “till the case at NGT is final.”
In yet another representation, submitted to the Lower Siang DC, the people of Ramie Banggo submitted a list of queries pertaining to the proposed district headquarters in Siji.
They sought information on the exact land available in Siji, the number of land donors and those who have withdrawn their lands, and the number of LPCs and total areas issued in Siji by the district administration.
They also demanded details on the locations and areas earmarked for allotment to members of District HQ Land Donors Welfare Committee, Siji, and geotagged location of the proposed compensatory afforestation site. They demanded a white paper on CAMPA and an independent inquiry into it.
Additionally, they demanded that the DC provide the sources of measurement of distance in the justification letter dated 6 November, 2023, which stated that Likabali is closer to the Kane Wildlife Sanctuary than Siji, and the feasibility reports choosing Siji over other sites (Sikirima, Bali and Garu).
They also sought clarification as to why construction activities are going on without GIS-based master plan, and demanded independent and comprehensive ecological, wildlife, hydrological, geological, and biodiversity assessment of Siji.
