Itanagar: The Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Forum (SIFF) has declined the Arunachal Pradesh government’s invitation for talks on the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP), demanding the release of all detainees and withdrawal of armed forces before any dialogue can take place.
In a letter dated November 3, the Chief Minister’s Office invited SIFF representatives to meet in Itanagar between November 5 and 7 to discuss issues related to the proposed project.
The letter, addressed to the SIFF president, stated that Chief Minister Pema Khandu had reiterated his invitation for a meeting at his office in Niti Vihar on a mutually convenient date during the proposed period.
The Chief Minister had earlier invited the organisation for talks on October 5, but SIFF declined the invitation while maintaining that it remained open to discussions at a later stage.
The latest invitation comes amid escalating protests against the proposed mega hydropower project, including violence in Pasighat following police action against young protesters.
SIFF has maintained that it will not engage in discussions with the government until all detainees are released and security forces deployed in the area are withdrawn.
The opposition centres on pre-feasibility report activities for the proposed SUMP, which is estimated to have a power generation capacity of 11,000 MW to 12,500 MW.