Guwahati: The Gauhati High Court’s Naharlagun bench on Monday accepted a petition seeking official recognition for communities living downstream of the 2,880 MW Dibang Multipurpose Hydro Project as eligible for rehabilitation and compensation.
Filed by the Arunachal Pradesh-based trust UBSS (Uttama Bor Abor Sanrakshana Sanrachana) on February 13, the petition calls for residents in Lower Dibang Valley and Assam’s Tinsukia–Sadiya belt to be included as Project Affected Families (PAFs), citing risks to homes, farmland, and livelihoods.
UBSS chairman Bigam Pertin said more than 75,000 people face possible threats from flooding and other project-related impacts. He argued that the affected residents have been excluded from mitigation and resettlement plans despite clear evidence of their vulnerability.
The petition raises several concerns about the project’s management, including the alleged omission of a densely populated 45 km downstream stretch in the 2016 environmental impact study, lack of proper public consultations, and failure to secure tribal consent under the Forest Rights Act.
Delays in building flood-protection embankments and emergency response measures in the earthquake-prone area were also highlighted.
The trust presented community resolutions, signatures, and evidence showing environmental degradation, reduced fish stocks, unseasonal flooding, and declining agricultural productivity.
This legal move follows earlier protests by the Dibang Multipurpose Hydro Project Downstream Affected Area Committee, which had demanded the start of protective works, including guide bunds, after Rs 154 crore was sanctioned but reportedly left unutilized.
UBSS also questioned the use of Rs 215 crore in afforestation funds and Rs 171 crore allocated for flood mitigation.
The Dibang hydropower initiative, one of the largest in the country, has sparked ongoing discussions about its effects on local communities and the environment.
The petition is now under judicial review, and focus is turning to the protection and recognition of downstream communities.