Tuki sees ‘foreign’ hand in anti-dam stir

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki has said that he suspects some "foreign agencies" may be behind the strident campaign against hydro-power projects being built in the state. But the state government is not deterred by the protests and is committed to implementing them, he has stressed.

Activists, political and civil society groups in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh have launched a sustained campaign against hydro-electric projects in the Himalayan state saying that the construction of big dams could hurt the ecology of the region as well as areas downstream.

"It is plainly motivated and instigated by interested organisations to earn cheap publicity. May be, there are some foreign agencies (behind them)," Tuki told The Indian Express. "India is an emerging superpower and in a few years it will be at the top of the world economy. Certain elements may be trying to prevent it. Hydro-power has the best potential to make up for the power deficit in the country."

"They are suspects," Tuki said, referring to the organisers of the protests, when asked if there was any evidence of the role of foreign agencies. "Our intelligence agencies are working on these lines. We are 100 per cent going ahead with these projects. We will not succumb to pressures. Our government is committed to it," he said.

Experts say that the state can become the country's powerhouse with a capacity to produce about 50,000 MW hydro-power.

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