Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is facing intense scrutiny and serious allegations regarding a lack of transparency after a reported “secret” meeting with industrialist Gautam Adani in New Delhi on November 2. This meeting coincided with the Assam government’s decision to allocate around 4,500 bighas of land to the Adani Group for a significant 3,250 MW thermal power plant in the Kokrajhar district at Parbatjhara.
During a press conference on Friday in Guwahati, Lurinjyoti Gogoi, president of the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), raised critical concerns questioning the swift approval and the secretive nature of the ₹50,000 crore project. Gogoi alleged that the land transfer to “Adani Power Limited” was approved by the previous BTC administration’s Land Advisory Committee and labeled it as a covert land allocation.
Gogoi further claimed that the tender process for the power plant was completed “secretly and hastily” in October, criticizing the urgency of the decision. He also raised concerns regarding the power purchase price, stating that Assam will buy electricity from the Adani plant at ₹6.30 per unit-higher than rates in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar-which was allegedly approved in advance by the Assam Electricity Regulatory Commission (AERC).
Additionally, the AJP alleged that the land transfer was occurring at an astonishingly low rate of ₹1 per bigha. The project’s timeline is also under scrutiny, as approvals were reportedly given by the APDCL Board of Directors and by the AERC on October 17 and 22, respectively. Notably, the AERC Chairman, Kumar Sanjay Krishna, resigned just three days after these approvals.
In his tirade against Sarma, Gogoi criticized the Chief Minister’s lack of communication about the project and the details surrounding his brief meeting with Adani. “The Chief Minister, who speaks on minor issues through press conferences or Facebook Live… why has he not addressed Adani’s thermal power plant?” he asked. He also questioned why discussions that occurred at Adani’s residence were kept confidential, noting the absence of any photos or videos from the meeting.
The AJP emphasized the need for transparency in light of this ₹50,000 crore project and questioned why crucial processes like public hearings and obtaining environmental clearances appeared to be overlooked. Gogoi asserted that the people of Assam have a right to know and stated, “There must be transparency; the Chief Minister must make it public.” He posited a theory of a “secret understanding” following the November 2 meeting, suggesting that Sarma is attempting to “save his throne by appeasing industrialist Adani” and misleading the people about the project.
Original Source: https://nenow.in/north-east-news/assam/assam-cm-himanta-sarma-under-fire-over-secret-adani-meeting-power-deal.html
Category: Assam,Northeast News,Top News
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Publish Date: 2025-11-09 00:00:00
