GUWAHATI: More than 100 citizens gathered in front of Cotton University in Guwahati on Friday evening, October 30, to express solidarity with the people's movement against the proposed 11,200 MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project in Arunachal Pradesh. They demanded the immediate scrapping of the project and respect for the democratic voice of local people.
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The protesters condemned what they described as repressive policies and violence by the Arunachal Pradesh government to suppress the anti-dam movement. They demanded the unconditional and immediate release of more than 60 people from Arunachal Pradesh who have been arrested or detained under the Arunachal Pradesh Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (APUAPA) during recent protests.
Speakers at the gathering said the massive dam would displace thousands of local families from their ancestral land and cause irreparable damage to the ecology of the fragile Himalayan region. They also warned that river-based livelihoods and the culture of the region would come under threat.
Participants resolved to build a united movement of people from Assam and Arunachal Pradesh against all large dams planned on rivers across the Northeast. They said people in both states would not accept any project imposed by force while ignoring the opinions of indigenous communities.
Prominent citizens, including Maini Mahanta, Sankar Saikia and Manoram Gogoi, attended the programme. Subrata Talukdar, Bidisha Barman and Chandan Bargohain of the Bhumi Adhikar Joutha Sangram Samiti; Nirankush Nath, Sangita Das and Utpala Das of the CPI(M); and Pankaj Kumar Das of the CPI(ML) Liberation also took part.
Others present included Jayanta Gogoi of the CPI, Debang Gogoi of the Patkai Sabhyata Suraksha Samanvay Mancha, Debajit Chowdhury of the Akhil Bharat Krishak Mazdoor Sabha, and Angkuman Bordoloi and Dhanjit Baishya of the Jatiya Yuva Bahini. Chabin Rabha of the Ukiam anti-dam movement and student leader Siddhartha Hazarika also joined the protest, along with students from Gauhati University and Cotton University.
