No hydropower project if people do not want: Arunachal CM

Arunachal Pradesh CM assures no hydropower project without local consent, emphasizing multi-purpose project importance amid protests.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Thursday (December 19, 2024) said the government will not pursue a hydropower project if the local people do not want it.

Speaking at a political event in Siang district’s Boleng, he said the “chapter” on dams in specific areas would be “closed” while reacting to protests against the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP).

“If you don’t want a dam, if you don’t want a hydropower project, there won’t be. Chapter closed,” he said.

He, however, said the issue was not about a hydropower project but a multi-purpose project of national importance envisioned by the Centre and the Niti Aayog.

Mr Khandu said misinformation was being circulated to brainwash innocent villagers against the SUMP, which is “not even in its pre-initial stage”. He added that those spreading misinformation and instigating people were confused about whether the project was of 10,000 MW, 11,000 MW, or 12,500 MW capacity.

“Neither I, as the Chief Minister, nor the NHPC is aware of the exact wattage of power the project will generate. How do you know the capacity of the project when the survey and investigation process has not even begun?” he asked.

He asserted that the project was not all about generating hydropower. “Hydropower generation is a by-product of the multi-purpose project by default. The real objective of the project is to save Ane (mother in the Adi language) Siang and the Adi society that is connected with the river since time immemorial,” he said.