Guwahati: The Boro Diaspora Forum (BDF), a non-political, non-profit organisation representing the Boro community, has strongly opposed the Assam government’s decision to allocate nearly 3,000 bighas (992 acres) of land in Kokrajhar district for a proposed thermal power project by the Adani Group.
The land, located in the Banshbari-Paglijhora area under the Bagribari Revenue Circle of Kokrajhar, falls within the Sixth Schedule Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) — an area administered by the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC). Locals in the area have been staging protests against the move, which they say undermines their land rights and the constitutional autonomy of the BTC.
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In a sharply worded statement, the BDF said the decision, executed via a BTC land allotment order based on a State Cabinet resolution, sets a dangerous precedent by compromising tribal land rights guaranteed under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. The organisation said the transfer of land — made free of cost and in perpetuity — amounted to the alienation of tribal land and a denial of indigenous people’s access to natural resources.
BDF president and retired Indian Audit and Accounts Service officer Pinuel Basumatary called the move a blatant overreach by the State government. “This is an infringement on the autonomy of the BTC and has generated widespread resentment among residents,” he stated.
The forum raised several concerns, including the lack of public consultation and the absence of mandatory clearances such as environmental impact assessments and permissions from wildlife authorities. It warned of the ecological and health hazards posed by the coal-based thermal plant, citing risks such as groundwater contamination from fly ash ponds, air and water pollution, and the cumulative impact on the fragile, flood-prone, and seismically active region.
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Questioning the justification for handing over land to a power distribution company instead of a generation firm, the BDF also challenged the state’s job creation claims. “Nine existing Adani thermal power plants collectively employ only 3,315 people — how can this one project alone promise 10,000 jobs?” the forum asked.
As an alternative, the BDF has urged the government to consider other sites, including lands recently cleared of encroachment, for such industrial ventures.
The organisation’s advisory panel includes retired IAS officer K. Mochahary, as well as noted Boro figures Benudhar Basumatary and Janak Jhankar Narzary. The BDF reiterated its call for transparent, inclusive decision-making that respects constitutional safeguards and protects the interests of indigenous communities.