Skip to main content

Review Arunachal mega hydro project, stop repression of anti-dam activists: NAJAR writes to CM

Counterview Desk 
In a representation to Pema Khandu, Chief Minister, Arunachal Pradesh, several senior activists and legal experts belonging to the advocacy group National Alliance for Justice Accountability & Rights (NAJAR) have sought  review of mega hydro projects, even as asking him to stop repression against environment human eights defenders and indigenous people’s povements of the State. 
They especially took strong exception to the manner in which, on 8th July, 2024, advocate Ebo Mill and activist Dunge Apang were "arbitrarily detained and wrongfully restrained for more than 8 hours by the Itanagar Police" for suspecting that they would lead a campaign especially against the mega-dam project on Siang River, a major tributary of the Brahmaputra, which directly flows from Tibet into Arunachal Pradesh.

Text: 

The National Alliance for Justice, Accountability & Rights (NAJAR), a collective of legal professionals across India, writes to you with an appeal to undertake an urgent review of the mega hydro power projects in ecologically fragile Arunachal Pradesh, which would have an adverse impact both on the environment as well as the rights and well-being of indigenous communities. We also urge your Govt to refrain from any form of repression on anti-dam, ecological justice activists, advocates and movements who are working in the long-term interests of the state. 
It is a matter of great concern that there have been multiple instances of detention of anti-dam activists. On 8th July, 2024, Advocate and Activist Ebo Mill and Dunge Apang were arbitrarily detained and wrongfully restrained for more than 8 hours by the Itanagar Police.  This is the second such detention of Ebo Mili, earlier one being on 12th August, 2023 when he was detained along with his brother Mejo Mihu for distributing pamphlets that conveyed messages against further dam projects and voiced public grievances. Their detentions have been a direct response to their protest against the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) signed between the state government and hydropower public sector undertakings (PSUs) concerning twelve stalled hydropower projects in Arunachal Pradesh. NAJAR voices its strong protest against the unlawful detention of Advocate Ebo Mili and Dunge Apang and urges the authorities to respect their fundamental rights to free expression and peaceful protest. We stand in solidarity with those advocating for justice and environmental preservation. 
We also insist that the root cause be corrected and reversed – which is the construction of large hydro projects, unmindful of their serious irreversible harm to the environment and local communities. India is bound by its commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and cannot proceed with a ‘development agenda’ which is contrary to them.  By these acts, the Government of India has gone back upon at least three of the SDGs (Goal No. 11 – Sustainable Cities & Communities, Goal No. 13 – Climate Action, Goal No. 16 – Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions). It has disregarded the serious concerns of the communities, it has criminalized peaceful protests and it has disregarded all reports about large dams causing long-term adverse impacts, especially in a fragile ecological zone. 
At the heart of the issue, is the need to safeguard the Siang River, a major tributary of the Brahmaputra, which directly flows from Tibet into Arunachal Pradesh. In 2017, the Niti Aayog proposed a hydropower project along Siang, aiming to make it the ‘country’s largest hydropower’ with a capacity exceeding 10,000 megawatts. In furtherance of this, the NHPC (National Hydroelectric Power Corporation) identified three potential sites viz., Uggeng, Ditte Dimme, and Parong, for preliminary feasibility assessments. These assessments involved drilling a 200-meter-deep hole to evaluate the strength of the rock surface. 
Thereafter, in 2023, NHPC attempted to conduct surveys in the proposed areas. However, the Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Forum (SIFF) resisted and rejected the efforts of the NHPC by filing a police complaint, alleging that the NHPC survey team was operating in Parong without the consent of the local residents. In March 2023, over 1,500 residents from Adi farming communities, organized as SIFF protested against NHPC’s initiatives, demanding the rollback of the Corporate Social Responsibility funds allocated by NHPC to the district administration. Despite the strong resistance of the indigenous farmers, on 12th August, 2023, Mr. RK Singh, the Union Power Minister signed a Memorandum of Agreement with four major central public sector undertakings to undertake 13 hydropower projects in Arunachal Pradesh. 
Since early this year, the NHPC started trying to ‘garner’ local support for the mega-dam project. The corporation engaged in various outreach initiatives, including signing several Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with different departments for development projects. These projects included upgrading schools, improving health centers, and constructing a multipurpose sports complex in Bolen. On 3rd March, NHPC also donated two Bolero vehicles to the Siang district administration as part of their community outreach.
On 22nd June, 2024, the Upper Siang District administration held a meeting with Panchayat members, village headmen from 12 villages, and the BJP MLA of Tunting yingkiong. During this meeting, the headmen were urged to permit the survey in the ‘national interest,’ citing the strategic importance of the dam and national security concerns. The village headmen strongly opposed the proposed project. Subsequently, on 8th July, 2024, Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, along with Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju and Piyush Goyal, visited Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, for a meeting regarding the same. 
We are alarmed by the proposed 11,000 MW Upper Siang Multipurpose Storage Project, being considered of national importance
In July, 2024, Advocate and Activist Ebo Mili and Dunge Apang (legal advisor and Convenor of the Siang Indigenous Farmers Forum respectively), were in preparation to hold a peaceful demonstration against the ongoing signing of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with hydropower companies in Arunachal Pradesh. SIFF, Dibang Resistance, and Northeast Human Rights (NEHR) intended to submit a representation to the Power Minister of India, expressing their grave concerns regarding the state's hydropower projects.
The representation reads:
“We implore the Government of India to reconsider its stance on advancing more dams in our state. We are particularly alarmed by the proposed 11,000 MW Upper Siang Multipurpose Storage Project, which is being considered of national importance. This designation suggests that the government may overlook critical issues such as socio-cultural impacts, the mass displacement of indigenous peoples from their ancestral lands, environmental degradation, wildlife concerns, and the 50-year-long anti-dam movement in the Siang region. We urge the government to prioritize environmental conservation and community well-being, favoring long-term sustainability over short-term gains.”
The representation also called for the amendment of the Arunachal Pradesh State Hydropower Policy of 2008 to better serve the interests of the state's people rather than those of transnational corporations and profit-driven entities.
On 8th July, 2024, at approximately 8:50 am, the Itanagar Police detained Advocate Ebo Mili and Dunge Apang, in contravention of the due procedure established in law and restrained them from exercising their right to protest. The police placed the human rights defenders under “bound down” according to Section 128 (Security for Good Behaviour from Suspected Persons) of the BNSS. According to the Itanagar Police, the detention was based on bald reports from “reliable sources” indicating that they might “disrupt the forthcoming public meeting involving the Chief Minister and Union Ministers” and “attempt to cause a public order issue.”. The activists were later released after signing a peace bond, with each facing a Rs 50,000 penalty for any breach of the bond related to the case under Section 128 of the Indian Civil Defence Code.
Last year, on 12th August 2023, Ebo Mili and Mejo Mehu were detained for staging a peaceful protest in Itanagar on similar issues. We view the preventive detention of Advocate Ebo Mili, Mejo Mehu and Dunge Apang as an act of reprisal against their environmental and human rights activism. It is against their constitutional and fundamental rights to organize peacefully in order to safeguard their natural environment and their right to life with dignity. Many of these concerns have also been highlighted in the recent letters sent to you on 18th Sep, 2024 by civil society activists, indigenous community leaders and environmentalists from across Arunachal Pradesh. Please do take cognizance of the same and address the concerns raised therein. 
In the light of the above, we call upon the State Government to:
  • Review the Mega Hydro Projects and not proceed with MoUs and Projects that would cause large scale, adverse impacts on the ecology of Arunachal Pradesh and its indigenous communities. 
  • Uphold the Right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent of the Indigenous Communities of Arunachal Pradesh, in the process of construction of any mega infrastructure projects. 
  • Initiate an independent, fair inquiry into the arbitrary detentions of Advocate Ebo Mili, Mejo Mehu and Dunge Apang and take action against concerned authorities, who violated the law.
  • Ensure the physical safety of the aforesaid activists, indigenous communities and safeguard their democratic right to protest peacefully, to defend ecology and people’s rights. 
As Chief Minister of the State, we trust you will prioritize the long-term interests of the ecology of the state, the well-being of the current and future generations while taking decisions. 
---
Click here for signatories 

Comments

TRENDING

The silencing of conscience: Ideological attacks on India’s judiciary and free thought

By Sunil Kumar*  “Volunteers will pick up sticks to remove every obstacle that comes in the way of Sanatan and saints’ work.” — RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat (November 6, 2024, Chitrakoot) Eleven months later, on October 6, 2025, a man who threw a shoe inside the Supreme Court shouted, “India will not tolerate insults to Sanatan.” This incident was not an isolated act but a continuation of a pattern seen over the past decade—attacks on intellectuals, writers, activists, and journalists, sometimes in the name of institutions, sometimes by individual actors or organizations.

'Violation of Apex Court order': Delhi authorities blamed for dog-bite incidents at JLN Stadium

By A Representative   People for Animals (PFA), led by Ms. Ambika Shukla, has held the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) responsible for the recent dog-bite incidents at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, accusing it of violating Supreme Court directions regarding community dogs. The organisation’s on-ground fact-finding mission met stadium authorities and the two affected coaches to verify details surrounding the incidents, both of which occurred on October 3.

N-power plant at Mithi Virdi: CRZ nod is arbitrary, without jurisdiction

By Krishnakant* A case-appeal has been filed against the order of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and others granting CRZ clearance for establishment of intake and outfall facility for proposed 6000 MWe Nuclear Power Plant at Mithi Virdi, District Bhavnagar, Gujarat by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) vide order in F 11-23 /2014-IA- III dated March 3, 2015. The case-appeal in the National Green Tribunal at Western Bench at Pune is filed by Shaktisinh Gohil, Sarpanch of Jasapara; Hajabhai Dihora of Mithi Virdi; Jagrutiben Gohil of Jasapara; Krishnakant and Rohit Prajapati activist of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the MoEF&CC, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and case is kept for hearing on August 20, 2015. Appeal No. 23 of 2015 (WZ) is filed, a...

History, culture and literature of Fatehpur, UP, from where Maulana Hasrat Mohani hailed

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  Maulana Hasrat Mohani was a member of the Constituent Assembly and an extremely important leader of our freedom movement. Born in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, Hasrat Mohani's relationship with nearby district of Fatehpur is interesting and not explored much by biographers and historians. Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri has written a book on Maulana Hasrat Mohani and Fatehpur. The book is in Urdu.  He has just come out with another important book, 'Hindi kee Pratham Rachna: Chandayan' authored by Mulla Daud Dalmai.' During my recent visit to Fatehpur town, I had an opportunity to meet Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri and recorded a conversation with him on issues of history, culture and literature of Fatehpur. Sharing this conversation here with you. Kindly click this link. --- *Human rights defender. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/vbrawat , X @freetohumanity, Skype @vbrawat

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

Celebrating 125 yr old legacy of healthcare work of missionaries

Vilas Shende, director, Mure Memorial Hospital By Moin Qazi* Central India has been one of the most fertile belts for several unique experiments undertaken by missionaries in the field of education and healthcare. The result is a network of several well-known schools, colleges and hospitals that have woven themselves into the social landscape of the region. They have also become a byword for quality and affordable services delivered to all sections of the society. These institutions are characterised by committed and compassionate staff driven by the selfless pursuit of improving the well-being of society. This is the reason why the region has nursed and nurtured so many eminent people who occupy high positions in varied fields across the country as well as beyond. One of the fruits of this legacy is a more than century old iconic hospital that nestles in the heart of Nagpur city. Named as Mure Memorial Hospital after a British warrior who lost his life in a war while defending his cou...

Citizens’ group to recall Justice Chagla’s alarm as India faces ‘undeclared' Emergency

By A Representative  In a move likely to raise eyebrows among the powers-that-be, a voluntary organisation founded during the “dark days” of the Indira Gandhi -imposed Emergency has announced that it will hold a public conference in Ahmedabad to highlight what its office-bearers call today’s “undeclared Emergency.”

Epic war against caste system is constitutional responsibility of elected government

Edited by well-known Gujarat Dalit rights leader Martin Macwan, the book, “Bhed-Bharat: An Account of Injustice and Atrocities on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-18)” (available in English and Gujarati*) is a selection of news articles on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-2018) published by Dalit Shakti Prakashan, Ahmedabad. Preface to the book, in which Macwan seeks to answer key questions on why the book is needed today: *** The thought of compiling a book on atrocities on Dalits and thus present an overall Indian picture had occurred to me a long time ago. Absence of such a comprehensive picture is a major reason for a weak social and political consciousness among Dalits as well as non-Dalits. But gradually the idea took a different form. I found that lay readers don’t understand numbers and don’t like to read well-researched articles. The best way to reach out to them was storytelling. As I started writing in Gujarati and sharing the idea of the book with my friends, it occurred to me that while...

From seed to soil: How transnational control is endangering food sovereignty

By Bharat Dogra  In recent decades, the world has witnessed a steady erosion of plant diversity in many countries, particularly those in the Global South that were once richly endowed with natural plant wealth. Much of this diversity has been removed from its original ecological and cultural contexts and transferred into gene banks concentrated in developed nations. While conservation of genetic resources is important, the problem arises when access to these collections becomes unequal, particularly when they fall under the control of transnational corporations.