ABK oppose public hearing on Lower Siang Project
ITANAGAR, Oct 9: Adi Baane Kebang (ABK) in an emergency executive body meeting held at Itanagar yesterday unanimously passed a resolution to strongly oppose the proposed public hearing for construction Dam over Siang River and construction of numerous Dams in various rivers within Adi inhabited areas.
It demanded the concerned authority/ State Pollution Control Board to postpone the proposed public hearing scheduled from October 18-21 for indefinite period till the project affected local people are completely educated about the pros and cons of such Mega Dam projects.
It further said that ABK is clear in its stand on this regard from the very beginning and until the project affected people are familiarized about the actual picture or ground reality of the consequences of the mega dam projects, holding of such public hearing is futile exercise, release added
Adi Students’ Union (AdiSU) has decided to boycott proposed Public Hearing announced by State Pollution Control Board for 2700MW Lower Siang Hydro Electrical Power Project on October 18, 19 and 21.
It claimed that the AdiSU has tried numerous times to convince Dam proponent, state government and central government through memorandums, representations and agitations to scrap the project as the project affected people are not in a position to spare their livelihood, culture, social setup and their belongingness at the cost of the project.
The union further decided to conduct touring at three Siang districts from October 11 to interact with the student community and the public of project affected places.
It demanded the Dam proponent to scrap the Lower Siang project and also appealed Anti Lower Siang Hydro Electrical Power Project organizations, Adi Baane Kebang, DSUs, Public Leaders and Student Communities to take full fledged participation in the boycott movement.
Meanwhile in a separate release, Pangin and Boleng Students Union has unanimously decided to oppose the proposed public hearing regarding 2700MW Lower Siang Hydro Electrical Power Project at Rottung on October 19.
The decision was taken in a mass meeting held at Pasighat today. The house also selected Ajay Darang as the chairman of the movement.
ABBK seeks Guv’s intervention, says no to public hearing
ITANAGAR, Oct 9: The Adi Bogung Bokang Kebang has demanded cancellation of the proposed public hearing on 2700 MW Lower Siang Hydro Power project scheduled to be held at Jeying, Rottung and Pressing on Oct 18, 19 and 21 respectively.
The Kebang in a memorandum addressed to the Governor of the state said that there should no construction of dam on Mighty Siang river and the proposed public hearing on Lower Siang project be postponed immediately. Highlighting the grievances of the villagers likely to be affected by dam, the Kegang in its memorandum said that almost all the villages of the Siang Valley are not aware of the nature of the proposed Siang Dam. Few people of different villages claimed to have attended Dam meeting at the Administrative Headquarters, wherein most of the people did not accept the proposal for construction of a Dam over Siang River, the memorandum claimed.
Kebang claimed that it has visited almost all the villages and found that Prior-informed consent of the project affected people has been overlooked or stage-managed in the proposed Lower Siang Hydropower Project. The Kebang further said that the construction company involves in malpractices to win over the confidence of the villagers on construction of dam.
Accusing the authority for taking hasty steps for public hearing, the Memorandum further said that former Union Environment and Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh stressed on study of three monsoon sessions to prepare the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) of the Lower Siang Hydropower Project (LSHP) way back in September last year. But the authorities decided to place the second EIA report of SLHP for public hearing within a year, the first being in the month of December 2010.
It further said that the present EIA report is found to be a carbon copy of the previous one which was scrapped by the Experts Appraisal Committee, Govt of India on Dec 11, 2010. It is seen that few corrections here and there have been made, especially in the Chapter 5, Social - Economics Profile, and with regard to the International boundary. However, the whole content is found to be the same, the memorandum said.
The memorandum further said that transparency has not been maintained while dealing with public regarding on LSHP Project. The company never discussed about the design of the Dam. Moreover, the memorandum said “EIA report seems to have not been handed over to the West Siang DC office even after the declaration of Public Hearing by the Arunachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board, as the application of the dam affected people for EIA report have been forwarded to the director of the Jaypee Company. Kebang further said that certain steps taken by the company in their attempt to influence over the people to support Dam proposals have been found to be dividing our societies into two groups, anti and pro-dam groups.
The Kebang claimed that besides the proposed Lower Siang Hydropower Project, 34 other Dams are also being proposed in the numerous tributaries of Siang River in the Upper reaches. Opposition to the dam on Siang River does not only mean apprehensions of submergence of homestead land, vast agricultural land, abundant forest product and resources and extinction of social cultural existence, but is found to be a deep-rooted social sentiment ingrained in the blood of all the Adis which emerges out and out with reverence to the Aane Siang River, the memorandum said.
