Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) on Tuesday formed a state-level fact-finding committee to examine hydropower-related issues, including the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) and the controversy over its pre-feasibility report.Constituted under APCC president Bosiram Siram, the panel will conduct field visits and examine official records, project documents, administrative orders, agreements, community representations and scientific assessments before submitting its report, the party said.
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The move comes amid continuing differences over pre-feasibility report-related surveys and drilling in Siang and Upper Siang districts. While the state govt has described SUMP as a project of national and strategic importance, sections of affected communities and local organisations have opposed the activities.Congress said the panel would assess the extent of support and opposition among affected communities rather than assume that either position represents all residents.It will examine the current status of the pre-feasibility process, villages and communities that could be affected, consultations held so far, and the legal and administrative basis for surveys, drilling, land access and security deployment.The committee will also review available studies on seismicity, geology, dam safety, downstream impacts, biodiversity, forests, river ecology and disaster risks. Proposed rehabilitation, compensation, employment and benefit-sharing measures will also be examined.APCC said the panel would scrutinise restrictions imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita in Geku area of Upper Siang on Sept 7, amid concerns over possible law-and-order problems linked to opposition to the project-related activities.Security arrangements during project work and protests will also come under review. Recent protests against drilling and pre-feasibility activities have been reported at Komkar and areas around Uggeng.The committee will meet project-affected families, indigenous organisations, village institutions, student and youth groups, civil society representatives, technical and environmental experts, govt officials and representatives of NHPC.Congress said the inquiry would not begin with a predetermined conclusion and would seek to verify competing claims through documentary evidence and field assessment.It said development and strategic considerations must be weighed alongside the rights and interests of local communities through a process based on transparency, consultation and evidence.
