Itanagar: BJP officials in Itanagar are pushing the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project as a vital asset for national security and water management. Rajya Sabha MP Tai Tagak and Information and Public Relations Minister Nyato Dukam held a press conference to defend the proposal. They want to move the conversation past simple electricity generation.
Tagak argued the project counters massive dam construction by China upstream on the Siang River. The Brahmaputra tributary requires careful resource regulation. Officials noted the project began in 1983 under the Brahmaputra Board and earned National Project status by 2008.
Local resistance is fierce. Indigenous groups, including the Siang Indigenous Farmers' Forum Youth Wing and the SUMP Affected Area Youth Association, fear for their land and environment. They reject the current pre-feasibility report survey. Tagak stated, "The project should be viewed beyond its potential for electricity generation."
Protests in Yingkiong recently forced the district administration to pause prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. Activists demand the release of residents detained under the Arunachal Pradesh Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. They also want central armed forces pulled from the valley and a full stop to all survey work.
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