Itanagar: Ninety-eight households in Riew village in Arunachal Pradesh’s Siang district, have given their approval for the preparation of a pre-feasibility report (PFR) for the 11,000 MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP).
This development follows a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on Friday in Itanagar.
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The signing ceremony was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein, cabinet minister Ojing Tasing, Chief Secretary Manish Kumar Gupta, Siang Deputy Commissioner PN Thungon, and representatives from Riew village.
Officials noted that Riew is the second-largest village in the Siang belt, and the consenting households represent nearly 62 percent of its population. This marks a crucial shift in public sentiment towards the mega-dam project, which previously encountered significant local opposition.
This positive reception in Riew comes shortly after over 300 households from Riga, the largest village in the area and a former stronghold of opposition, also consented to the project’s PFR earlier this month.
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Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein, who also oversees the power portfolio, lauded the development, calling it an important milestone in the government’s hydropower initiative. He characterized this journey as being built on “dialogue, understanding and mutual respect.”
“Being a democratic country with a people-friendly government, we believe in taking the people’s confidence and making them equal partners in development,” Mein stated.
“Through awareness, technical education and trust-building, we’ve brought communities onboard,” he added.
Mein further emphasized that the SUMP aligns with the government’s broader commitment to sustainable and inclusive development.
He added, “From roads to hydropower, every project today echoes the vision of a #ViksitBharat. This MoU reaffirms that inclusive development is possible when the government and the people move forward together, not in opposition, but in understanding.”
The development came at a time when China has begun constructing a major dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo river, known downstream as the Brahmaputra.
This Chinese project has raised fresh concerns in both India and Bangladesh regarding water security, flow regulation, and ecological sustainability, despite Beijing’s attempts to allay fears.