Stone quarries put Assam semiconductor plant at risk

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.

Cabinet decision

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. It also directed officials to examine whether the restriction could be reduced from 15 km to 5 km by amending the relevant policy.

Mr Choudhury questioned the distinction between new and existing polluting activities, arguing that emissions and dust from either category could have the same consequences for the semiconductor facility.

“Stone mining, quarrying, and crushing are major sources of particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5, and TSP) and gaseous pollutants, which are incompatible with the stringent environmental requirements of semiconductor manufacturing. Allowing such activities near the facility will have catastrophic consequences for this nationally significant project,” he wrote.

He also referred to an April 20 order by the Divisional Forest Officer, Nagaon Division, cancelling operations in the “Jagiroad Stone Mining Area” of Sonaikuchi Reserve Forest. This indicated that the operating stone quarries were illegal.

At least two Jagiroad-based organisations have also protested the stone quarrying and crushing in the vicinity. On August 11, the local unit of the Bir Lachit Sena submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, seeking immediate intervention against illegal hill excavation and blasting activities at Sonaikuchi.

The unit’s president, Arup Bora, urged the State government not to grant permission or allot land for quarrying around Jagiroad, citing the need to protect the environment and public health.

The Madhya Assam Koch-Rajbongshi Students’ Union submitted a similar petition to Assam Environment and Forest Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah on August 18, seeking action against illegal mining in Nagaon and Morigaon districts. The organisation also named a contractor involved in illegal mining at Jagiroad and in the hills of the adjoining Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong districts.