Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein has said the state government remains open to dialogue with everyone expressing concern over the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project, including community organisations, student bodies, civil society groups and individuals. Mein, who holds the Power and Non-Conventional Energy Resources portfolios, was speaking at the valedictory function of the silver jubilee celebrations of the All Palin, Chambang, Yangte, Gangte and Tarak-Lengdi Students’ Union at Palin in Kra Daadi district.
Differences over the 11,200 MW project should be settled through constructive engagement, informed discussion and mutual understanding, Mein said, stressing the need for expert consultations and public awareness. He also urged young people to explore entrepreneurship, particularly in tourism.
Protests continue despite arrests
The offer of talks comes against a backdrop of sustained protest in the Siang valley, where residents fear displacement and loss of land from the project. Reports put the number of people arrested in connection with the agitation at 69 across East Siang, Siang and Upper Siang districts, with 53 criminal cases registered and notices served on more than 200 people. East Siang Police have separately said 26 people, including five juveniles, were apprehended after violence in Pasighat during a 12-hour bandh against the project.
The Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Forum, which is leading the agitation, has said it will not meet the Chief Minister for discussions until those detained during the agitation are released and central security forces are withdrawn from the region. It has also demanded a halt to survey work and withdrawal of the cases. The People’s Party of Arunachal has urged the state government to withdraw central armed police personnel from the Siang region and release those arrested.
Press Club objects over journalist’s naming
Separately, the Press Club of India has said it is shocked that Arunachal Pradesh Police named senior journalist Tongam Rina, deputy editor of The Arunachal Times, in requests for search warrants linked to the violence in Pasighat. The Press Club called her inclusion a serious attack on press freedom.
The government maintains that the current work amounts to preliminary assessments of technical feasibility, while protesters insist that concerns over land rights, displacement and community consent must be addressed before any further steps are taken. Earlier coverage includes a minister-level meeting with an affected forum and stepped-up security at the Dite-Dime bridge, a key crossing in the agitation.
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