The Assam government on May 18 halted an ongoing survey for a proposed satellite township near the upcoming Tata semiconductor project in Morigaon district following protests by Tiwa and Bodo community organisations.
According to an official order issued by Morigaon District Commissioner Anamika Tewari, the survey work related to the proposed township has been cancelled with immediate effect after objections were raised by several organisations.
The district administration had been conducting surveys in Sindhisar, Naldhara and Bihita villages near Jagiroad to prepare a relocation and rehabilitation proposal for the planned township project.
However, the move triggered strong opposition from tribal residents, who feared eviction from villages located within the Gobha tribal belt.
The All Tiwa Students’ Union along with several other tribal organisations staged protest rallies over the past three days demanding complete cancellation of the proposed township project and not merely suspension of the survey process.
Officials said the satellite township was being planned near the upcoming Tata Electronics Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) facility at Jagiroad.
The semiconductor unit, being developed with an investment of Rs 27,000 crore, is expected to manufacture up to 48 million semiconductor chips per day using advanced packaging technologies such as flip chip and Integrated System in Package (ISIP).
