Assam Lays Foundation for Adani Thermal Plant on Evicted Land

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma laid the foundation stone for a 3,200 MW ultra-supercritical thermal power plant in the state's Dhubri district, billed as the largest industrial project in the northeastern region. The Rs 48,000-crore project is being developed by Adani Power Limited at Chapar in lower Assam and is scheduled for phased commissioning beginning in December 2030.

The project site spans land where district authorities demolished the homes of 1,400 Bengali-origin Muslim families in July 2025. The evictions displaced approximately 10,000 residents who had lived in the area for decades, drawing sharp local disputes over land acquisition and the absence of full resettlement.

The facility in Chapar will comprise four units of 800 MW each, utilising ultra-supercritical technology to generate electricity. State officials stated that the plant is designed to meet Assam's rising power demand, which currently stands at a peak of 3,026 MW and grows at an annual rate of about 10%. Projections indicate that the daily requirement will reach 5,500 MW by 2030, while local generation capacity sits at approximately 400 MW, forcing the state to import the balance.

The Adani Group reported that the venture will create up to 20,000 jobs during construction and approximately 5,000 permanent positions once fully operational. The thermal plant forms part of a broader Rs 63,000-crore power sector investment portfolio by Adani Group companies in Assam, which also includes two pumped storage hydro projects with a combined capacity of 2,700 MW by Adani Green Energy Limited.

The foundation stone is being laid on land that was cleared following a district administration proposal submitted on March 30, 2025, to convert village grazing land for industrial use. In July 2025, the state government demolished structures across nearly 1,157 acres of government land in Charuabakhra, Chirakuta I and II, and Santoshpur villages under the Chapar revenue circle.

Displaced residents and local landowners have contested official claims regarding rehabilitation and site occupancy. Abdur Rashid Sheikh, a local resident, stated that the eviction drives left 1,400 families without homes, noting that titleholders lost approximately 1,700 bighas of private land alongside 3,500 bighas of government land. Sheikh added that about half of the landowners holding formal titles have not received their compensation despite completed paperwork.

District authorities designated 300 bighas in Baizar Alga village to rehabilitate displaced persons and earmarked a one-time relief grant of Rs 50,000 per family to assist with moving expenses. However, several affected residents expressed reluctance to relocate to the designated site, citing its location as a low-lying riverine area situated in the middle of the Brahmaputra river.

In its submission for environmental clearance to the Union environment ministry, Adani Power Limited asserted that the proposed site contained no habitations, involving no rehabilitation or resettlement claims. The Expert Appraisal Committee subsequently recommended environmental clearance for the coal-based plant on July 14, 2025, clearing the regulatory path for construction to commence under the design, build, finance, own and operate model.