Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee on Tuesday expressed concern over the law-and-order situation in Siang and Upper Siang districts amid tensions over the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project.APCC urged state govt to de-escalate tensions and begin dialogue with communities likely to be affected by the project.Speaking to reporters at Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan in Itanagar, APCC vice-president Tamchi Tahar said concerns over the project involved people’s land, livelihoods, environment, identity and future, and should not be treated only as a law-and-order or security issue.Tahar also condemned the reported lathi-charge and physical confrontation between paramilitary personnel and people from project-affected areas. He said the Siang belt should not be turned into a zone of confrontation.“Development cannot be imposed through force, intimidation or excessive deployment of security forces. The government must listen to its people, not confront them,” Tahar said.APCC said opposition to a development project and democratic dissent should not be equated with lawlessness or an internal security threat. It said concerns over land acquisition, possible displacement, environmental impact, rehabilitation, compensation and the long-term implications of the project should be addressed through meaningful consultation.The party called for immediate steps to restore peace in the affected areas and sought a review of the deployment of paramilitary forces. It also urged govt to refrain from using force against peaceful protesters and villagers, and to ensure that citizens exercising their democratic rights are not subjected to intimidation, arbitrary arrest or coercive action.Congress also sought an immediate and inclusive dialogue involving affected communities, village elders, elected representatives and other stakeholders. It demanded that major project-related activities be kept on hold until consultations are completed and comprehensive assessments of the project’s social and environmental impact are carried out.APCC called for all relevant project documents and impact assessments to be made public, saying transparency was essential to building confidence among communities likely to be affected by the project.Tahar said the people of Siang were not opposed to development but wanted to be treated as stakeholders in the process. The party said residents had a legitimate right to question a project that could have far-reaching implications for their land, rivers, ecology, livelihoods and cultural heritage.APCC urged govt to move away from what it called a “force first and dialogue later” approach and bring all stakeholders to the negotiating table.“Arunachal Pradesh needs peace, dialogue and development with the participation and confidence of its people, not confrontation between the state and its own citizens,” the party said.
