The economic spin-off of such projects in an area devoid of any major infrastructure is likely to be massive. The Champamati project itself will bring in an investment of Rs 42 crore. As part of the deal, the hydel station will also give 7.5 per cent of the electricity it produces to BTC, free of cost. Similarly, the Kokrajhar project is expected to bring in anywhere between Rs 30-50 crore.

“The biggest problem that we face is that private sector companies are very hesitant to set up projects here. At the same time, we want to have self-sufficiency in power, we want schools, colleges and industries,” said Kampa Borgoyari, deputy chief executive member of the BTC who was the secretary of the Bodo Liberation Tigers. “Since we don’t have the money or the expertise to carry out these development projects on our own, we are inviting private participation and are lending every support to those interested.”

“All the projects that we will give to private players will be chosen on the basis of the quantity of local raw material they would use and the degree of unskilled labour they would employ,” he added.

In the case of the Champamati hydel project, the “support” included arranging everything from financing and land acquisition to preparation of the detailed project report.

As for the Kokrajhar project, for which Expressions of Interest (EOI) were invited last December, BTC has committed to providing the land on a long-term lease of approximately 60 years.

... contd.