Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu at a program to thank the voters of Pangin assembly constituency on Thursday. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangements
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu said on Thursday (December 19, 2024) that the government cannot go ahead with the hydropower project if the local people do not want it.
Speaking at a political event in Boleng, Siang District, he responded to protests against the Siang Upper Multi-Purpose Project (SUMP) and said the “chapter” of dams in certain areas would be “closed”.
“They don’t want dams, if they don’t want hydropower projects, they won’t be built. The chapter is closed,’ he said.
However, he said that this issue is not a hydroelectric project but a multi-purpose project of national importance envisioned by the Center and NITI Aayog.
Mr. Khandu said that misinformation was being spread to brainwash innocent villagers against SUMP, which is “not even in the pre-initial stage”. He said that he is confused whether the project is 10,000 MW, 11,000 MW or 12,500 MW, spreading false information and inciting people.
“Neither the Chief Minister nor the NHPC is aware of the exact wattage of electricity to be produced by the project. How can the capacity of the project be known when the process of survey and investigation has not even started?” he asked.
He said that the project does not only generate hydropower. “Hydroelectricity generation is by default a by-product of multi-purpose projects. The real aim of the project is to save Ane (mother in Adi language) Siang and the Adi society which has been connected to the river since time immemorial,’ he said.
China factor
Mr Khandu stressed that the Siang multi-purpose project would help mitigate the “unimaginable destruction” caused by China’s approved 60,000 MW hydropower project at Yarlung Tsangpo, upstream of Siang in the Tibetan region.
He said that the Chinese government, which has not signed the international water convention, wants to divert the water from the majority of the reservoirs to be built under the big project to Tibet and other dry areas of the country.
“In such a situation, it is inevitable that the water level of the Siang River will be so low that in winter, you will be able to cross the mighty Siang on foot. Do you want such a situation? I certainly don’t,” he said.
He said SUMP would also help if China suddenly releases water from its dams, starting a path of destruction through the Siang Belt downstream of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam and Bangladesh.
“We are hopeful that the progress made through the bilateral talks with China will improve the relationship, but we cannot be complacent and ready for not seeing it,” said Khandu.
He said the Center has proposed an SMP to maintain the natural flow of water in the Siang River throughout the year and for flood modulation if China releases excess water. Reiterating that about 50 percent of the country’s hydropower capacity is in the state, he said that the electricity generated from the SMP will bring in Rs 10,000 crore annually to the state exchequer.
The chief minister denied “rumours” that the government was trying to forcefully kill SUMP by using the armed police force. ‘We are a democratic country. We do not believe in forcing projects on our people. We believe in taking the last person in line into confidence,” he said. “The government is ready to negotiate with the stakeholders.
He asked the committee formed under the chairmanship of Tamio Taga, a former minister and leader of the tribal community, to reach out to the suspected villagers and remove all doubts and confusion about the SMP.
“Take your time. Clear your doubts. We are in no rush,” he said.
published – December 19, 2024 at 10:28 pm IST