BJP Arunachal Pradesh highlights strategic importance of Siang Upper Multipurpose Project

The BJP Arunachal Pradesh has highlighted the strategic importance of the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP), arguing that it could play a role in national security, water resource management and economic development.

 

Addressing a press conference at the BJP state office in Itanagar, Rajya Sabha MP Tai Tagak and Arunachal Pradesh Information and Public Relations Minister Nyato Dukam responded to criticism from Congress leaders and called for a fact-based discussion on the project’s significance and feasibility.

 

Tagak said the project should be viewed beyond its potential for electricity generation, arguing that it could help regulate water resources and address strategic concerns arising from large dams being built by China upstream on the Siang, a major tributary of the Brahmaputra.

 

According to Tagak, the project was first initiated in 1983 under the Brahmaputra Board and was granted National Project status in 2008.

 

The proposed project has, however, faced opposition in the Siang Valley, where local groups have raised concerns over the impact of the pre-feasibility report (PFR) survey on the region’s land, environment and cultural identity.

 

Indigenous organisations, including the Siang Indigenous Farmers' Forum Youth Wing (SIFFYW) and the SUMP Affected Area Youth Association (SAAYA), have opposed the project, citing the significance of the Siang River to local communities and their concerns over its potential consequences.

 

Earlier protests in Yingkiong also prompted the district administration to temporarily relax prohibitory orders imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), according to the information provided.

 

Activists have demanded the release of local residents detained under the Arunachal Pradesh Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the withdrawal of central armed forces from the area and a complete halt to the survey.

 

The project has emerged as a contentious issue, with the BJP emphasising its strategic and water-management objectives while opposing groups continue to raise concerns over its possible impact on local communities and the Siang River.