Amid mounting protests by tribal groups, the Assam government on Monday suspended an ongoing survey for a proposed satellite township near a Tata semiconductor facility in Morigaon district, according to an official notification.
The decision follows three consecutive days of demonstrations by members of the Tiwa and Bodo communities, who have been opposing the proposed township project covering Sindhisar, Naldhara, and Bihita villages near Jagiroad. Protesters have demanded the immediate scrapping of the project, expressing concerns over possible eviction and displacement.
In a public notice, Morigaon Deputy Commissioner Anamika Tewari stated that the district administration had cancelled the survey work with immediate effect after several organisations raised objections. She added that the survey was being conducted in Tiwa-inhabited villages as part of efforts to prepare a rehabilitation and relocation proposal.
The proposed township has triggered widespread anger among tribal residents, particularly those living in the Gobha Tribal Belt, where the affected villages are located. The All Tiwa Students’ Union (ATSU), along with other tribal bodies, led protest marches over the past three days, opposing any move that could lead to the displacement of indigenous communities.
While welcoming the suspension of the survey, protesting organisations have maintained that halting the exercise is not sufficient and have called on the government to completely withdraw the township proposal.
The township is linked to the Tata Electronics Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) plant being developed in the region with an investment of Rs 27,000 crore. The facility is expected to produce up to 48 million semiconductor chips per day using advanced packaging technologies such as flip chip and Integrated System in Package (ISIP), positioning it as a significant industrial project in the state.
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