Mass Protests Force Govt to Scrap ADB-Backed Assam Solar Power Project

The Government of India has officially withdrawn from the $434.25 million Assam Solar Project financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), following sustained opposition from indigenous rights groups and civil society organisations in Assam. The cancellation, confirmed by the Ministry of Finance on May 23, also includes the termination of a $1 million technical assistance grant provided under ADB’s Clean Energy Financing Partnership Facility.

The project, approved by ADB on 24 October 2024, was intended to support the development of a large-scale solar photovoltaic facility with an integrated Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Assam. It also aimed to strengthen institutional capacity for renewable energy deployment and promote public-private investment in the state’s green energy transition. However, the loan and project agreements were never signed.

In an official letter to ADB’s India Resident Mission, the Ministry of Finance conveyed that the decision was made following a request from the Government of Assam to withdraw both the loan proposal (PPR ID 11668) and the associated technical assistance (PPR ID 12165) under the state’s flagship Mukhya Mantri Sauro Shakti Prokolpo, which sought to implement 1,000 MW of solar capacity.

The cancellation comes in the wake of months-long public demonstrations spearheaded by the Karbi Anglong Solar Power Project Affected People’s Rights Committee, the Joint Land Struggles Committee, Assam, and the All Party Hills Leaders Conference. On April 25, protestors assembled in Guwahati’s Chachal locality, raising slogans like “Adani Go Back” and “Ambani Go Back” and warning against the displacement of indigenous Karbi, Dimasa, Mising, Tiwa, and Rabha communities from over 18,000 bighas of ancestral land in Karbi Anglong.

“This is a temporary victory,” said Subrata Talukdar, convenor of the Joint Land Struggles Committee. “The struggle will continue until development policies are designed to uplift local communities rather than displace them. We are not against development, but we oppose models that endanger livelihoods, culture, and indigenous land rights.”

The protestors also demanded redressal for displaced families in Silsako, resolution of the Mikir-Bamuni land dispute, and protection from forced evictions in the Rabha-Hasong region.

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