'No consent, no dam': Protests mount against Arunachal’s 1200 MW Kalai-II Project

Itanagar, May 28: A strong wave of resistance has erupted in Arunachal Pradesh’s Anjaw district as residents of the remote tribal villages of Nukung and Mla voiced firm opposition to the proposed 1200 MW Kalai-II Hydroelectric Project.

The dissent emerged during a public consultation and Social Impact Assessment (SIA) review meeting held on Tuesday in Hawai circle.

In a letter addressed to the Anjaw Deputy Commissioner, the Nukung Welfare Society — representing the affected indigenous communities — declared the project unacceptable for its failure to obtain Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), a legal prerequisite for any development affecting tribal populations under both Indian and international frameworks.

According to the SIA report, prepared by the GB Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment, Nukung village is expected to face complete submergence, with neighbouring Mla village also listed as severely impacted.

“We have never consented to this. The total obliteration of our ancestral land without our permission is unacceptable and illegal,” said Roshan Tawsik, chairman of the Nukung Welfare Society.

The villagers also questioned the legitimacy of the SIA report, alleging flawed and opaque consultation processes.

The letter stated that the study fails to accurately represent the ground reality, undermining the scale of displacement and cultural devastation the project would cause.

Of particular concern is the potential submergence of sacred Mishmi cultural and spiritual sites, including Hutung Graam — the abode of the community’s supreme deity — Mlaang and Mlaanguh's Farm, Kaapyiu Raknaang, and downstream sites like Parshuram Kund (Tailung) and Nimkeh.

Villagers argue that these sites are irreplaceable and their destruction would amount to cultural erasure.

The letter further highlighted severe ecological concerns — biodiversity loss, large-scale deforestation, increased seismic risk, and the potential degradation of the Lohit River and Brahmaputra Delta ecosystems.

The project’s proximity to sensitive international borders with China and Myanmar has also raised strategic red flags.

While the Kalai-II project is part of India’s broader hydroelectric development push in the Northeast, the villagers of Anjaw are making it clear that development without consent — and at the cost of their homes, heritage, and environment — will not be accepted.