GUWAHATI, Sept 12 - A division bench, comprising Chief Justice (acting) K Sreedhar Rao and Justice PK Saikia, has directed the Arunachal Pradesh Government to issue public notices in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam in regard to the construction of hydro-electric projects over the Siang river.
The order came in response to two public interest litigations (PIL No. 61/2015 and PIL No. 61/2015) filed at the Gauhati High Court by the people belonging to indigenous Adi tribes of Siang Valley who are directly affected by the signing of as many as 232 MoAs/MoUs by the Government of Arunachal Pradesh with various power developers, including nearly 50 MoAs, over the Siang river and its tributaries.
In the PILs, the petitioners have sought a direction from the High Court to probe the matter by the CBI, SIT or any other competent investigating agency, covering the expenditure of the non-refundable premium received in crores by the State Government out of the 50-plus MoAs with power developers.
The petitioners, who identified themselves as members of the anti-dam movement, highlighted the alleged misuse of corporate money and resources in the Parliamentary, Assembly and Panchayat elections.
It is contended in the PILs that the large number of mega dams without proper assessment of cumulative impact will displace many people directly by submergence. These dams are also likely to displace many people by affecting forest resources, river, private land and community land.
