‘PFR does not mean dam will be built’: Arunachal CM appeals for dialogue amid Upper Siang protests

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Wednesday said the proposed Pre-Feasibility Report (PFR) for the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) does not mean that the proposed dam will eventually be constructed, as he appealed to protesters to engage in dialogue with the government instead of resorting to violence or damaging public property.

Khandu, who is on a two-day visit to Siang and Upper Siang districts amid continued opposition to the proposed project, said the PFR is required to determine whether the project is technically feasible and, if so, where it could potentially be located.

“This dam is not going to be built. This is only for PFR. Based on the PFR report, it will be seen whether this dam will be built or not,” Khandu said during an interaction in Upper Siang.

He said the PFR would involve limited technical investigations, including drilling at a few locations to collect rock samples for laboratory analysis.

“There is no damage to do PFR. The farm will not be destroyed, your house will not be destroyed, the forest will not be destroyed, nothing will be destroyed,” he said, adding that the sampling process would take around two to three months.

Khandu said that only after the PFR would the government consider subsequent stages such as public consultation, social impact assessment, environmental impact assessment and preparation of a detailed project report, depending on the findings.

He also said that any eventual decision on the project would involve consultation with affected communities.

“After PFR, the public hearing... all the details will be shown to the people. At that time, if we feel that we do not want this project, then I said that even today I can sign and see that the government will not force it,” Khandu said.

The Chief Minister described SUMP as a project with strategic significance for the country, besides its hydropower component. The Centre declared the project a National Project in 2008.

Khandu said he had travelled to the two districts to interact with different groups and explain the government's position on the PFR.

He also announced that Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein, who holds the hydropower portfolio, would spend about a week in the area during a subsequent visit to facilitate wider consultations. Khandu said he too would spend more time in the region and visit Geku to directly interact with villagers.

The Chief Minister's remarks come amid sustained opposition to the PFR survey from sections of the indigenous Adi community. Villagers in Geku, Komkar and adjoining areas have blocked roads and opposed the movement of machinery towards proposed PFR sites.

Khandu said people have every right to oppose the project or question the government in a democracy, but maintained that such opposition should not involve destruction of property or public infrastructure.

“You can be negative about the project. In democracy... But it does not mean that you have the right to go to another village, damage its property, destroy the road built by the government, break the water supply or irrigation channel,” he said.

Referring to the situation in Geku, Khandu said more than 100 households had earlier signed in support of the PFR, but alleged that some of those who supported the survey were subsequently intimidated and their properties damaged.

He urged residents to raise their concerns directly with him and other government representatives.

“In a democratic country, there should be questions and answers. You should ask questions,” Khandu said.

He added that the government was willing to hold discussions in Itanagar, Pasighat, Siang, Upper Siang and directly in villages.

“Call the Chief Minister. I will come to answer you. I will go to Geku myself. We will sit in the village,” he said.

Khandu also defended the deployment of security personnel in the area, saying the government had to maintain law and order in view of incidents involving alleged damage to property and obstruction of PFR-related activities.

He stressed that opposition to the project and law-and-order issues should be treated separately.

The state government has recently constituted an Empowered High-Level Committee headed by Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Ojing Tasing to coordinate and oversee the PFR survey and associated activities in Siang and Upper Siang.

The PFR activities have not yet begun at the proposed sites, even as tensions have continued in parts of the region over the government's plans to proceed with the survey.