ITANAGAR, 2 Sep: The Siang Indigenous Farmers' Forum Youth Wing (SIFFYW) in Upper Siang district said that thousands of villagers opposed the proposed 11,000 MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) during an "unofficial meeting" held on 27 August.

The organisation claimed that Amjad Tak, Divisional Commissioner (Central Zone), who is also holding the post of Commissioner, Public Health Engineering & Water Supply, held an unofficial meeting without any official circular or prior notice.

"Local officials, including the DC and SP of Boleng, were unaware of the gathering until villagers themselves informed them. Both officers subsequently attended," the SIFFYW said.

According to the SIFFYW, Tak had come without informing the local administration specifically to understand the ground reality through an informal interaction. The meeting was attended by thousands of people, and the villagers made their position crystal clear: "No Dam. No Survey," the Forum said in a release.

"The villagers have issued a clear warning that any attempt by government agencies, corporations, or their representatives to enter Siang villages to promote, survey, or discuss the Siang Dam will be treated as a direct violation of the people's will, customary laws, and constitutional safeguards," the SIFFYW said.

The organisation said that villagers are also deeply concerned about a glacial lake measuring approximately 8.18 hectares, classified as Category A by the National Disaster Management Authority and located about 25 km from Tuting. "The proposed 11,000 MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project lies directly downstream of this lake. Locals describe the decision to build such a massive project in this location as reckless and deeply inconsiderate of the Adi community's safety and future," the organisation claimed.

It said the proposed dam site lies in seismic Zone V, a highly fragile and active earthquake zone. Villagers have expressed deep fear that constructing a massive reservoir holding billions of cubic metres of water in such a region is an invitation to catastrophe, the organisation said.

The organisation further said that the people of the Siang villages have reaffirmed that their land, rivers, forests and mountains are ancestral and will be protected at any cost against these existential threats. Village leaders have stressed that their resistance is firmly rooted in constitutional and indigenous safeguards, including the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR), 1873, Article 371(H) of the Constitution of India, the Forest Rights Act, 2006, the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

"The sustained and fierce resistance against the controversial Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) continues to paralyse the project's initial planning stages. Due to unrelenting opposition from villages across the Siang region, the Pre-Feasibility Report (PFR) of the project remains completely stalled. Local leaders have warned that this impasse is likely to block any meaningful progress on the PFR for the next several years," the organisation said.

The SIFFYW said that over recent months, the traditional village councils (Baane Kebang) of Siang villages have unanimously passed a final resolution opposing the mega-dam. The organisation further said that all survey and data-collection activities for the PFR have been effectively blocked on the ground, and communities have categorically banned surveys, data collection and any project-related discussions within their jurisdiction along the Siang River.