India, Feb. 23 -- The Gauhati High Court's Naharlagun bench on Monday accepted a petition seeking official recognition for communities living downstream of the 2,880 MW Dibang Multipurpose Hydro Project as eligible for rehabilitation and compensation.

Filed by the Arunachal Pradesh-based trust UBSS (Uttama Bor Abor Sanrakshana Sanrachana) on February 13, the petition calls for residents in Lower Dibang Valley and Assam's Tinsukia-Sadiya belt to be included as Project Affected Families (PAFs), citing risks to homes, farmland, and livelihoods.

UBSS chairman Bigam Pertin said more than 75,000 people face possible threats from flooding and other project-related impacts. He argued that the affected residents have been excluded from mitigatio...