Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu said the immediate requirement for the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) is to conduct a Preliminary Feasibility Report (PFR), stressing that no final decision on construction can be taken before the prescribed technical, legal and public consultation processes are completed.
Process before decision
The Chief Minister underlined that the PFR is meant to establish facts through technical studies, and only after the required legal processes and statutory consultations would any call on the project be taken.
The statement comes amid sustained protests by local communities and farmer bodies in the Siang region against the PFR survey exercise for the proposed 11,000-MW project on the Siang river.
Government’s stand
The state government has consistently maintained that the PFR is an initial technical exercise to assess feasibility — not a decision to build the dam. Project-affected communities, however, have demanded an immediate halt to all survey-related activities, citing concerns over land, livelihoods, displacement and environmental impact.
The Siang region has witnessed continuing demonstrations, even as the government pushes ahead with the survey exercise.
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