HT Digital
ITANAGAR, JUNE 9: Raga MLA Rotom Tebin, who represents the Dollungmukh people in Arunachal Pradesh, presented a memorandum on Sunday to Chief Secretary Manish Gupta, calling for a stop to the bombing exercises being carried out by the Indian Air Force (IAF) at the Dolum firing range immediately. The MLA was joined by panchayat leaders and elderly citizens from the area during Gupta’s two-day visit to monitor preparations for the commissioning of the 2,000 MW Lower Subansiri Hydroelectric Project.
The memorandum vehemently criticized the persistent bombing operations, terming them as “illegal and dangerous to the civilian population.” It appealed to the state government to take action against the IAF and seek negotiations for a conditional two-year extension of the lease for the firing range, which expires on January 31, 2025.
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Emphasizing jurisdictional issues, the report referred to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) dated April 20, 2023, in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The MoU between the governments of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh states that all six villages in the Dollungmukh subdivision are part of Arunachal’s jurisdiction. Three of the villages fall partially within the bombing area. Despite this, the IAF has reportedly continued to coordinate with Assam authorities—an act the memorandum claims violates the MoU.
The delegation demanded that any issues pertaining to Dollungmukh be dealt with only by the Arunachal Pradesh government, the Government of India, and the IAF and not be interfered with by Assam. They also questioned the break-in of daily life resulting from the bombing and asked who would be held responsible if there were civilian casualties—the IAF or the state government.
Complaints of illegal encroachment by Assam’s Forest Department were also brought to the notice of the chief secretary. The delegation called for strict compliance with the terms and conditions of the April 2023 MoU by all sides.
Some of the major demands in the memorandum were an immediate stop to bombing operations at the Dolum range, urgent talks with the IAF for a conditional lease renewal putting safety and transparency first, and immediate communication with the Assam government for compliance from its Forest Department.
Chief Secretary Manish Gupta assured the delegation that the issues raised would be examined in detail and appropriate measures would be taken to rectify the situation.
