Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday laid the foundation stone for a 3,200 MW thermal power project by Adani Power Limited in Dhubri district, on land where the homes of around 1,400 Bengali-origin Muslim families were demolished during an eviction drive in July 2025, Scroll reported.
The report by Scroll‘s Rokibuz Zaman said the project is located in Charuabakhra, Chirakuta I and II and Santoshpur villages under the Chapar revenue circle.
1,400 Families Displaced in 2025
In July 2025, the Assam government demolished the homes of more than 1,400 Bengali origin Muslim families living on nearly 1,157 acres of government land in the area, according to Scroll.
Around 10,000 Bengali origin Muslims who had lived in the area for three to four decades were displaced following the demolitions, the report said.
One resident told Scroll at the time that many of those displaced were “erosion hit people who lost their ancestral homes due to the Brahmaputra”.
The land was allotted to the state run Assam Power Distribution Company Limited, which subsequently allotted it to Adani Power for the proposed project.
Residents Dispute Rehabilitation Claims
The project has also raised questions over rehabilitation and compensation.
In its submission seeking environmental clearance, Adani Power told the Union environment ministry that there were no habitations at the site and that the project therefore involved no rehabilitation and resettlement claims.
Residents affected by the evictions have disputed this claim, Scroll reported.
Assam has just launched its biggest-ever power project.
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) September 20, 2026
The 3,200MW Thermal Power project in western Assam will generate enough electricity to meet the State's entire power needs.
This ₹48,000 crore project is a direct outcome of #AdvantageAssam2.0,held just 18 months ago. pic.twitter.com/CbF1AQWTc5
Abdur Rashid Sheikh, a resident, told Scroll that the government had cleared the project site through what he described as “forceful eviction drives”, leaving around 1,400 families without homes or rehabilitation.
“Apart from the 3,500 bighas of government land that was taken forcibly, there were 1,700 bighas of land where people with land titles lived that were also taken,” Sheikh said. “About 50% of the landowners with land titles have not received compensation yet though their paperwork is done.”
The district authorities allocated 300 bighas in Baizar Alga village to rehabilitate affected people and earmarked Rs 50,000 as one time relief to help them transport their belongings.
Some residents, however, said they were unwilling to move to the proposed site because it is a low lying riverine area in the middle of the Brahmaputra.
Rs 48,000 Crore Adani Power Project
The Adani Power project involves an investment of around Rs 48,000 crore and will comprise four units of 800 MW each. The plant is expected to be commissioned in phases beginning in December 2030.
According to the company, the project could generate up to 20,000 jobs during construction and around 5,000 permanent and indirect jobs once operational.
Sarma described the project as Assam’s biggest ever power project and said it would generate enough electricity to meet the state’s entire power needs.
The Union environment ministry’s Expert Appraisal Committee recommended environmental clearance for the proposed coal based thermal power plant on July 14.
The foundation stone ceremony was attended by senior government officials and Adani Group Director Jeet Adani.
The project comes amid continuing concerns raised by displaced residents over compensation, rehabilitation and the circumstances in which their homes were demolished.
