According to Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said that China has not constructed any dam on Brahmaputra river that would have been a matter of concern for India.

Khandu, who led a delegation of state leaders to Singh, said on Monday that the Prime Minister had also told them that India would tackle the boundary issue with China diplomatically. The delegation met Singh to seek a review of the defence strategy for the eastern sector in view of Chinese incursions and expressed serious concern over reports of a dam being constructed by China on Brahmaputra river.

“The Prime Minister said no dam is being constructed and only run-of-the-river construction has been made,” Khandu told reporters while citing a letter from the Chinese government. A media report last week had said that China was building a big dam on Brahmaputra river, prompting India to express concern over the development as it would change the course of the river and could result in submergence of low-lying areas downstream. India has no problem with run-off-the-river constructions but building of a dam as it involves storage of water.

When the delegation raised the issue of Chinese incursions into the state, the Prime Minister reportedly assured them that the Centre will “tackle” the boundary question with the neighbouring country bilaterally.

“The Prime Minister told us not to worry. He said the Centre will tackle with the situation bilaterally,” said Congress MP from Arunachal West Takam Sanjoy, who was part of the delegation. Sanjoy said the delegation requested the Prime Minister to give a big push to infrastructure development to ensure better surveillance over Chinese activities and urged him to create a para-military force exclusively comprising youths from the state.