Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu on Tuesday reiterated that the state govt was not rushing the proposed Siang Upper Multi-Purpose Project (SUMP) beyond the feasibility stage. He said completion of the Preliminary Feasibility Report (PFR) was the immediate priority to enable an informed technical assessment of the project’s viability.Addressing govt officers and administrative officials of Siang district at Boleng, Khandu said technical clarity was essential before the project could move to subsequent stages.“If experts determine after the PFR that the project cannot be built, there will be no further process,” the CM said.The PFR exercise is expected to take three months, covering Nov, Dec and Jan. It will assess whether the proposed structure is technically feasible in Arunachal Pradesh’s high-risk Seismic Zone V, evaluate its flood-protection capabilities in the event of potential upstream water releases and identify viable construction sites.Khandu urged stakeholders to view SUMP not merely as a conventional hydropower project, but as a project with national and strategic security implications.Referring to China’s large-scale water infrastructure plans announced in 2021 along the upstream Yarlung Zangbo, as well as proposed northern water-diversion routes, Khandu said repeated requests from India and Bangladesh for transparency and water-sharing talks had gone unheeded by Beijing.Addressing concerns over displacement and environmental impact, Khandu said extensive public consultations, social impact assessments, environmental impact assessments and detailed project reports would precede any further action if the PFR produced positive results.He said affected communities would be consulted on relief, rehabilitation and land compensation, and that public hearings would allow residents to raise their concerns through the prescribed legal framework.“My duty is to tell you everything and listen to your questions,” Khandu said. He added that he planned to undertake a week-long tour of villages in Siang district to engage directly with local residents.Highlighting the scale of the proposed project, Khandu estimated the initial investment at between Rs 1.5 lakh crore and Rs 2 lakh crore. He described it as potentially one of the largest infrastructure investments in the country and said a project of this magnitude could drive local economic development and generate employment in construction, logistics and allied sectors.The CM urged district administrators and other officials to study the project’s technical aspects thoroughly to support informed public dialogue and address misinformation.
