Itanagar: Tensions are mounting in Arunachal Pradesh’s Lower Dibang Valley, as local organisations threaten a full-scale legal and protest offensive against the Dibang Multipurpose Hydro Project. The agitation stems from what community groups are calling a blatant neglect of downstream residents and a failure to implement crucial protection measures, despite a sanctioned budget of ₹154 crore.
The Dibang Multipurpose Hydro Project Downstream Affected Area Committee (DMHPDAAC) has issued a stark warning, giving authorities until August 24 to begin work on downstream protection. If the deadline isn’t met, the committee has vowed to launch a “massive democratic movement” that could cripple the region. Their stance is backed by the Uttama Bor Abor Sanrakshana Sanrachana (UBSS), a public charitable trust, which is preparing to take the matter to court. The UBSS alleges that downstream residents have been unfairly left out of the official list of project-affected communities, and it’s seeking to challenge this exclusion legally.
In a move that highlights the growing rift, the UBSS has also appealed to the influential Adi Baane Kebang (ABK) to honour its commitment to lead a united democratic action. The trust warned that if the ABK fails to act, it will launch a campaign for the organisation’s derecognition in the Dibang belt.
Both the DMHPDAAC and UBSS have written to the Deputy Commissioner, the ABK, and the project head, expressing the public’s deep frustration and demanding immediate intervention. As the August 24 deadline looms, the Dibang project, one of India’s largest hydropower ventures, finds itself at a critical juncture. It’s now facing the unprecedented prospect of simultaneous street protests and legal battles, a confrontation that could dramatically reshape the project’s future.
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