Young people without jobs in rural Digboi have expressed grave worries about purported anomalies in the contract awarding process for the Digboi Refinery Expansion Project in the Tinsukia region of Assam. With an estimated cost of Rs 740.20 crores, the project intends to increase the refinery’s capacity from 0.65 to 1 million metric tons annually. Young people claim that once Keller Ground Engineering India Pvt. Ltd. was awarded the original contract, work was delegated to a small group of people, including tycoon Hemanta Agarwal and three other people, avoiding local contractors. One of the main problems was that more over 6,000 cubic feet of minor minerals were purportedly sourced solely from Arunachal’s Roing-based crusher mills, so excluding Assamese producers.
Local contractors allege that their identical samples were arbitrarily rejected, suggesting partiality. A organization known as the Unemployed Union of Digboi was reportedly given 33% of the civic work following a meeting of the district administration. Locals now doubt this group’s authenticity because of its alleged syndication and exclusion of numerous worthy young people. Tension has increased as a result of media organizations, student organizations, and concerned residents pleading with authorities to guarantee justice and openness. A formal request for immediate action has been made to senior officials, such as the minister of industries in Assam and the deputy commissioner.
