ITANAGAR, Oct 5: Chief Minister Pema Khandu and Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein on Monday stressed the need for dialogue and wider consultation with the people of the Siang region on the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP), while urging stakeholders to allow the Pre-Feasibility Report (PFR) exercise to proceed.
Interacting with legislators from the Adi community, representatives of the Adi Baane Kebang (ABK), Pasighat Municipal Council (PMC) councillors, Panchayat leaders and members of the public at DC’s Conference Hall, Pasighat, Khandu said any discussion on the future of the Siang must begin with listening to the people living along the river.
“The Siang carries deep meaning for the people who live along its banks. Any conversation about its future must therefore begin with listening,” Khandu said.
He said the interaction provided an opportunity to hear different perspectives, suggestions, questions and concerns, particularly from people who could be directly affected by the project.
“These conversations are essential to building confidence, allaying fears and ensuring that people have the information they need,” the Chief Minister said.
Mein said the interaction was aimed at clearing doubts and creating greater awareness about SUMP among elected representatives and public leaders of East Siang, Siang and Upper Siang districts and the ABK.
He said it was important for public representatives and community leaders to understand the project in its entirety so that they could help people understand its objectives, implications and the process involved.
According to Mein, SUMP is being considered primarily from the perspective of protecting the Siang basin and ensuring water security. He referred to concerns over the proposed 60,000-MW mega dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo upstream in China and the possibility of changes in the flow of the Siang and diversion of water towards north-western provinces of China.
He said the proposed SUMP, with its planned water-storage capacity, is envisaged as a regulating and buffer reservoir that could help maintain downstream flows during lean periods and moderate sudden releases of water from upstream.
Mein also cited the devastating floods witnessed in the Siang basin, including Pasighat in 2002, as a reminder of the need to strengthen preparedness and protect communities living along the river.
He urged people of Siang, East Siang and Upper Siang to allow the PFR activities to be undertaken, saying the exercise would establish whether the project was technically and geographically feasible.
“The PFR is an assessment stage, not a decision to construct the dam,” Mein said, adding that any further decision would have to follow due process and consultation with the people.
The government, he said, would keep the concerns, voices and interests of the people of the Siang region central to every step ahead.