GUWAHATI: Protests erupted in the Dite Dime area of Siang district in Arunachal Pradesh on Saturday against the proposed 12,500 MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project of the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC).The locals are opposing the mega hydropower project on river Siang citing that it is a threat to their land, livelihood, environment and way of life. Dite Dime, Parong and Uggeng are the three proposed sites of the project.Over 600 locals staged the protests against the “forceful survey-cum-pre-feasibility report (PFR)”. They shouted slogans against the government and the NHPC. The protests were organised by All Adi Welfare Society, Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Forum and Banggo Students’ Union.The Parong village committee had on Friday lodged a complaint with the Siang superintendent of police against the NHPC for “forceful implementation” of the PFR, which is seen as a prelude to the dam’s construction. The committee said the survey was against the consent of the people who would be affected by the project.The committee pointed out to meetings that the gram sabha members, villager chiefs, Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Forum and the general public had with the deputy commissioners of Siang and Upper Siang districts on June 22 and June 24 and said the “public” had unanimously rejected the PFR of the project.The committee urged the SP to lodge an FIR against the NHPC and the executing agencies for forcibly conducting the survey “against our constitutional and legal rights”.As the conflict deepened, the NHPC had on July 20 written to the state government seeking round-the-clock security at the proposed sites for core drilling works and geophysical studies.On Friday, Siang deputy commissioner PN Thungon had issued an order directing people to refrain from taking part in Saturday’s gathering “against the government and developmental activities”. “…all the HGBs (head gaonburas), GBs (gaonburas), PRI (Panchayati Raj Institution) leaders and government servants are directed to desist from participating in the meeting which is anti-government and anti-development in nature,” the order stated.
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