Stone quarries put Assam semiconductor plant at risk

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Dust-producing stone quarries and crushers in the vicinity could cripple Assam’s semiconductor unit, a signature pet project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, before it can start, an environmental activist has warned.

Tata is developing the ₹27,000 crore Semiconductor Assembly and Test (TSAT) facility in Morigaon district’s Jagiroad, about 55 km east of Guwahati. It is a major component of India’s chip-making ambitions and is linked to the vision of building a self-reliant ecosystem under the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM).

Over 60% of the work at the TSAT facility, coming up where a unit of the Hindustan Paper Corporation once stood, is complete.

According to the ISM guidelines, a semiconductor plant requires ISO Class 1 to 5 vibration-damped cleanrooms to prevent microscopic dust contamination, and millions of gallons of ultra-pure water daily for wafer-rising, chemical processing, and cooling.

However, stone quarries and crushers within a 5 k.m. radius of the facility have reportedly been covering the Jagiroad area with a blanket of dust. Local organisations said excavation and blasting carried out in the hills of Sonaikuchi Reserve Forest (near the semiconductor plant) have caused flash floods and threatened public health.

Raising concerns over the potential impact of dust and pollution on Assam’s flagship industrial project, Golaghat district-based environmental activist Rohit Choudhury urged the State government to enforce restrictions on polluting industries and activities within a 15-km radius of the TSAT facility.

In a letter to the Assam Chief Secretary on August 22, he cited an RTI (Right to Information) reply from the State’s Industries, Commerce, and Public Enterprise Department and an earlier government directive to argue that exemption granted to pre-existing and pipeline polluting industries could undermine the very objective of protecting the proposed Ratan Tata Electronic City at Jagiroad.

On March 10, the Assam Cabinet decided that no cement plants or other polluting industries would be permitted within a 15-km radius of the Electronic City. The Industries Department issued an order on May 2, directing officials to ensure strict compliance, scrutinise industrial proposals, and establish a monitoring mechanism to flag violations. The order said the restriction was “mandatory and binding”.

However, the Industries Department’s July 30 response to Mr Choudhury’s RTI application on June 26 revealed that the Cabinet subsequently clarified that the restriction would apply prospectively and would not apply to pre-existing or pipeline projects.