Itanagar: The Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Forum (SIFF) has raised serious doubts over the validity of household approvals cited for the proposed 11,000 MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP), claiming inflated figures and irregularities in the consent process.
Addressing the media on Saturday, SIFF spokesperson Tagori Mize said an RTI reply contradicted claims made by the Siang Upper Project Multipurpose Dam Committee (SUPMDC). According to the disclosure, only 277 out of 429 households in Riga village had endorsed the project, as opposed to the 329 claimed by the committee. Mize further alleged that at least 17 names on the consent list did not own land in the proposed dam area, calling the process “deeply flawed and misleading.”
On August 5, the SUPMDC had announced villagers’ “irrevocable consent” for the pre-feasibility report study of the project. SIFF, however, rejected the claim, accusing the committee of spreading misinformation about CSR funds and upfront developer payments — assertions refuted by the state hydropower department in its RTI response.
The forum has now called for a Bogum Boka Kebang, a traditional community meeting, at Geku on August 20, inviting student bodies, legislators, and community organisations to deliberate. It is also demanding amendments to Article 371-H of the Constitution, which grants Arunachal Pradesh special provisions but has long been debated in the state.
Conceived by NHPC in 2009, the SUMP is envisioned as one of India’s largest hydropower projects, with a reservoir capacity of nearly 9 billion cubic metres. While pitched as a solution for power generation, irrigation, and flood moderation, the project has faced opposition from local communities and environmental groups, who fear adverse impacts on indigenous land, culture, and ecology.
With SIFF’s latest revelations, the controversy surrounding the Siang dam is expected to intensify ahead of the upcoming community gathering.