Reacting to Arunachal Pradesh BJP unit?s plea to the state government to review its decision on mega dams for the economic development of the people, the anti-dam protagonists questioned the rationale of the state opposition on the issue.
  In a joint release, Bamang Anthony of Arunachal Citizens? Right (ACR) and working Group on Subansiri and Siang rivers, Dr Tado Karlo of NEFA Indigenous Human Rights Organization (NIHRO), Dr D Roy Laifungbam of Centre for Organisation Research & Education (CORE), Souparna Lahiri of Delhi Forum, Ravindranath of Rural Volunteers Centre, Monoj Gogoi of Peoples? Movement for Subansiri Valley and Kalpana Hazarika of Subansiri Nari Sanrakha Sangstha, questioned the rationale behind BJP?s demand after Chief Minister Gegong Apang announced the decision at the National Development Council
meeting.     

The region?s poor economic development despite its abundant natural resources is well known. Thus, BJP statement underlines the often repeated arguments of dam builders, who believe that only big hydro and similar high cost, high-risk infrastructure projects hold key to the development of North East region, they observed. They wondered as to how BJP wanted the government to consult with them. They said the proposed dams in Arunachal were part of Centre?s
50,000 MW Hydro Initiative and construction project and started in Subansiri without any consultation with the people of the State.
 

Pointing out that many hydropower projects, including Ranganadi hydro projects in Arunachal, have proved the risks and unacceptable costs overweighing the economic returns to the state in terms of 12 per cent free power as royalty, the release said that the BJP stand tows the mainland policy and corporate interest at the cost of region?s rich ecology and biodiversity and the interest of the indigenous peoples, who have been demanding for decommissioning of Dumbur Dam in Tripura and Lokthak Hydroelectric Project in Manipur.

They also questioned the NDA government?s Hydropower Initiative, which had not proposed a single micro or small size hydro project, while the initiative had threatened the ecology with the proposed 43 mega hydro projects in this seismically sensitive state.They cited the examples of accidents at the de-silting tank of Kambang hydro project near Along town, besides, about half a dozen accidents at hydro project sites in the country, mostly in the Himalayan region, killing labourers and trapping people. ''The authorities, the World Bank and the Indian government had ignored public opinion before constructing dams over unpredictable, glacier-fed Himalayan rivers flowing through highly seismic and unstable rock formation zones and the disastrous effects are known to every one by now. Thus, such mega dams over unpredictable glaciers-fed rivers of Arunachal would be nothing but inviting catastrophe in future,'' they added.

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