Dam updates - Roing Woes !

I'ad asked Raju Mimi, editor of Veracity( local daily of Roing ) to tell me few points about the meeting, few members of AIMSU ( All Idu Mishmi Students Union ) along with some delegates from Roing, had with the Chief Minister of Arunachal ( Mr.Khandu ). This team of delegates were accompanied by former CM of Arunachal, current Rajya Sabha MP, Mr.Mukut Mithi.

So below is what Raju responded back me with ( source: Idu mishmi community, Orkut )


Our meeting with CM n Mithi sir was not a success...
However...the points we got them to listen was..

-The state govt is loosing its independent decision making policy owing to huge financial investments in this dam building process.

-Why bargain with people for sake of NHPC? And why cant the govt bargain with NHPC for the people?

-Theres nothing like Dibang Project being of national importance. Its only the politics of business. Many auto, cement, steel and other companies want their goods to be sold, so dams has to be built.

Mithi's Response:

-If people don't want dams then there can be no dam. But the govt needs to appoint an expert committee to study the facts.
-Downstream people are not project affected.
-expressed unawareness of such large scale destruction before the project was initiated.
- Not having dams is also not a solution.
-I want our boys to each individually, in their own capacity strongly fight for our rights.
-otherwise we are already a minority...we will stand nowhere in the future...
-theres no point condemning our leaders but we must make them understand the situation. we need collective effort.
-taking part in our social activities for two years, i realised our community is very weak financially and academically. Even to celebrate our own festivals, the community cannot even mobilise Rs 1 Lakhs rupees. Its only when Mithi or Umbrey or NHPC gives donation.

-Whereas Nyshis can easily mobilise crores of rupees for their festivals,,forget about lakhs....
-ANSU, NES and all other Nyishi afiliated organisations can also easily mobilise crores of rupees.

And What Mr.Raju had to say on this: - What our concerted efforts needs to be is: 

We are so exploited that to become leaders we have to ignore our own community and appeal other community. That's how the policy went wrong and our leaders have only exploited our own people. That's why today there's not even a crorepati or academicians, intellectuals, bureaucrats or even a A class contractor in our community.

....Our young generations can no more look for state govt for employment since no one is there to help us....either compete at national level or dare to be different."

-Dorjee Khandu is CM now->Power Secy is from his community->Principal Advisor is from his community->Principal Secy is from his community->Contractor for NHPC is his family members->recently he appointed many of his community people to the post of officers in various department in Arunachal.

--Under his leadership Tawang has got all the centres attention and even tibetan refugee issue has died out. Remember some Monpas i have met are not comfortable calling themselves as arunachali whn they are out of arunachal. rather they like call themselves as Tibetan.
-Theres no point of talking of development if our own Idu people cannot decide for their future. Its time to make our community strong. Our people becoming CM or MP or MLA or Lt Governor is of no use when our community cannot strongly defend their rights. (Wangcha Rajkumar was shot dead in his own hometown, remember if our leaders neglect our own community then same fate may fall on our leaders. So make the community strong, only then our own community will protect us.)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


I certainly couldn't understand with the point that, "Not having Dam is also not the option"...

What can one make of it?
The idea of people deciding for themselves simply gets killed.