Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: Congress leader Debabrata Saikia wants a temporary halt on new large-scale data centers and AI computing projects in Assam. He sent an eight-page plea to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Saikia seeks a scientific regulatory framework. He claims the state must protect water resources, power supplies, and local tea crops.
The push follows the February 2026 opening of the National Data Centre in Amingaon. That site boasts an 8 MW power capacity. It uses liquid cooling and backup generators. Saikia fears the state will become an energy-intensive hub without oversight. He argues for the Precautionary Principle. His concern is the state's tea sector. It supports 1,25,484 small growers across 1.17 lakh hectares. In April 2026, Assam produced 55.41 million kg of tea. That is over half of India’s 104.28 million kg total output.
Climatological data from 2026 shows mean maximum temperatures in the South Bank tea belt rose by up to 1.3 degrees Celsius. Saikia worries computing facilities will push heat higher. He demands facts on water usage and waste heat. He warns that hardware converts electricity directly into heat released into the local environment.
Saikia proposed a 12-point regulatory framework. He wants an immediate pause on all new clearances. He demands impact assessments from groups like IIT Guwahati, CSIR-NEIST, and the Tocklai Tea Research Institute. His plan includes mandatory buffer zones and strict hydrogeological checks. He insists the state must weigh jobs against resource costs. "If a highly automated hyper-scale computing centre generates very few permanent jobs for local youth while consuming millions of litres of water, absorbing vast amounts of grid power, and aggravating ecological stress on an indigenous tea sector that employs lakhs of Assamese citizens, the tradeoff is deeply inequitable," Saikia said.
He wants developers to source electricity from new renewable projects. He also demands thermal-plume modeling. He insists his stance is not anti-investment. He wants to ensure growth does not destroy livelihoods.
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