Arunachal Congress Challenges Security Buildup at Siang Dam Site

Itanagar: The Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee is fighting the heavy deployment of security forces in the Siang and Upper Siang districts. Authorities sent teams to secure the area for a preliminary feasibility report on the 11,000 to 11,200 megawatt Siang Upper Multipurpose Project. Congress spokesperson Johny Yangfo slammed the move, arguing that building a dam requires community trust rather than armed force.

"Consent cannot be manufactured under the shadow of guns, administrative pressure or financial inducement," Yangfo said. Siang Deputy Commissioner Tayi Taggu stated the forces are there to stop untoward incidents during survey and drilling work. Attempts to reach Upper Siang Deputy Commissioner Talo Jerang regarding the deployment failed.

Local residents worry the project will destroy their ancestral homeland through displacement and ecological damage. Critics point to the region's seismic vulnerability and the potential loss of biodiversity and cultural heritage. The Congress party demands an immediate withdrawal of central armed police forces from the survey zones and the suspension of all coercive activity. They insist the state government must start a transparent, time-bound dialogue with village institutions and kebangs before pushing forward. The party maintains that any assessment of the project must involve independent experts to evaluate the true social and geological impacts.