Save Siang

Do people have a say?

What the government has assured and made clear about consultation, consent and what happens if people say no.

Photo of community members seated at a meeting in a hall.

What if people say no?

Further steps happen only if the PFR finds the project workable. The government has also assured that if people do not want the project after the PFR, it will stop right there, with no further action.

An older man in a blue checked shirt and a younger woman in a maroon cardigan sitting on a wooden bench at a hillside viewpoint, looking at a phone together, with a river valley below.

Will the findings be shared?

The government has assured that it will make the PFR’s findings public and hold detailed discussions with all areas likely to be affected.

Five Adi elders in traditional dress sit on benches under a big tree, talking calmly with a local official in a white shirt.

Your say comes first

The government has made it clear that public consultations are mandatory for land acquisition.

Myth

Does signing the MoU give away our land?

Let's look at the facts.

Fact

The MoU only supports the PFR study. It is not an agreement to build the project.

An Adi grandmother, wife and husband talking in their kitchen garden beside their stilt house.

Free and fair consent

MoUs are based on the free and fair consent of households.

Green paddy terraces beside a thatched Adi village; four villagers in Adi dress work apart (an elder woman weeding in the paddy, a young man with a cane basket, a woman on the bund, an old man with a hoe in the garden)

What it does not cover

It does not cover land acquisition, social impact assessment or environment impact assessment in any manner.

Villagers in Adi dress seated outdoors listening to a speaker Below, a timeline bar drawn to scale by years: PFR 3–6 months, studies 2–3 years (highlighted), DPR 3–4 years, construction 14–15 years.

If the site is found feasible

As per the Land Acquisition Act, 2013 and the Environment Protection Act, 1986, extensive public consultations will be held for:

Land Acquisition
Relief and Rehabilitation
Social Impact Assessment (SIA)
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

These take 2 to 3 years.

See the slides (6)

An Adi farmer in traditional dress standing in a paddy field, with the text "MYTH: Does signing the MoU give away our land?"

An Adi elder reading a document, with the text "FACT: The MoU only supports the PFR study. It is not an agreement to build the project."

An Adi grandmother, wife and husband talking in their kitchen garden beside their stilt house, with the text "Free and fair consent".

Villagers in Adi dress seated outdoors listening to a speaker, with the text "If the site is found feasible: as per the Land Acquisition Act, 2013 and the Environment Protection Act, 1986, extensive public consultations will be held for land acquisition, relief and rehabilitation, social impact assessment (SIA) and environmental impact assessment (EIA). These take 2 to 3 years." Under the text, a timeline bar drawn to scale by years: PFR 3–6 months, studies 2–3 years (highlighted), DPR 3–4 years, construction 14–15 years.

A family around a home hearth, with the text "Have a question? Ask us in the comments."

Who can we ask?

The government has assured that it is always open for discussions and to answer any questions about SUMP – Siang Upper Multipurpose Project.

The government has assured that Government of India high-level experts are ready to come to Siang and Upper Siang districts to discuss technical and safety aspects of the project.

Have a question?

Ask us. We will answer with facts. If the answer is not known yet, we will say so.

Ask on our Facebook page