Guwahati: Environmental concerns surrounding the upcoming Tata Semiconductor Assembly and Test Pvt. Ltd. (TSAT) facility at Jagiroad have intensified, with a citizen calling on the Assam government to retain and strictly enforce a 15-km restriction on cement plants and other polluting industries around Ratan Tata Electronic City, where the major semiconductor assembly and testing project is being developed as part of India’s efforts to build a domestic semiconductor ecosystem.
In a letter addressed to Assam Chief Secretary Ravi Kota on August 22, Rohit Choudhury called for the withdrawal of an exemption for pre-existing and pipeline polluting industries and opposed any move to reduce the restricted zone from 15 km to 5 km.
According to the letter, the Assam Cabinet on March 10, 2026, decided that no cement plants or other polluting industries would be permitted within a 15-km radius of Ratan Tata Electronic City at Jagiroad in Morigaon district. However, an RTI reply dated July 30, 2026, reportedly stated that the Cabinet subsequently clarified that the decision would apply prospectively to future proposals and would not apply to pre-existing or pipeline projects. The government was also directed to examine whether the restriction could be reduced to 5 km by amending the relevant policy.
Choudhury argued that exempting existing polluting industries could undermine the environmental requirements of the semiconductor project. He also raised concerns over stone mining, quarrying and crushing activities in the vicinity of the facility, claiming that such operations could generate dust and particulate pollution incompatible with the stringent environmental conditions required for semiconductor manufacturing.
In his representation, Choudhury urged the state government to reconsider the exemption granted to existing polluting industries, retain the original 15-km restriction without dilution, shut down stone mining, quarrying and crushing units operating within the restricted zone, and establish a robust mechanism to monitor compliance.
Copies of the representation were also sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the Union Environment Ministry and several state and central regulatory authorities, including the Central Pollution Control Board and the Assam Pollution Control Board.