| Staff REPORTER |
ITANAGAR, Sep 7: The Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Forum (SIFF) Youth Wing legal advisor Ebo Mili has alleged of an ‘unofficial meeting’ by Central Zone Division Commissioner-cum-Commissioner Public Health Engineering and Water Supply Amjad Tak with the people of Geku, Upper Siang district, on August 27 last.
Addressing reporters at the APC here today, Mili claimed that the meeting was conducted without informing the local administrative authorities at Geku. He called the meeting ‘fishy and a shady act’ and a violation of established administrative protocols.
He also raised concern over the threat posed by a glacial lake located around 30kms from Tuting in Upper Siang district, claiming that the lake is on the verge of breaching and has been categorised as an ‘A-category’ glacial lake, indicating an immediate threat.
“Unfortunately, no preparations have been made by the state government so far to deal with the situation,” Mili said.
He further claimed that construction of the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) in the area could aggravate the situation and increases the risk of a glacial lake outburst flood, as there are no adequate coping and disaster-management mechanisms.
He cautioned that similar 27 glacial lake-related threats exist in various districts such as Dibang Valley, Tawang, Anjaw, Kurung Kumey, Shi Yomi and warned that construction of dams without adequate scientific assessment, preparedness and mitigation mechanisms could have serious consequences if any such lake breaches.
He urged the state government and concerned authorities to conduct proper scientific assessments, ensure transparency in project-related activities and put in place adequate disaster preparedness measures in vulnerable areas as precautions from glacier outburst.
Mili alleged that private companies are attempting to persuade local people to sign MoUs for the construction of SUMP facilities by offering them Rs 2 lakh under the Livelihood Generation Scheme. He cautioned the local-level signatories and officials involved in the paperwork of the scheme to refrain from proceeding with activities without proper transparency and authorisation.
He said the forum would seek information through the Right to Information (RTI) Act in the future to ascertain the source and utilisation of funds under the scheme, alleging that the funding pattern remains unclear.