Situation out of control due to floods in Assam, death toll reaches 75. BJP MLA called it an unexpected disaster. At the same time, Congress cornered the government and demanded compensation of ₹ 10 lakh. Chief Minister Himanta Sarma has announced an assistance amount of ₹9 lakh.
Guwahati (Assam) [भारत]July 29 (ANI): BJP MLA Kishore Nath expressed grief over the deaths in Assam floods, terming the incident as tragic and emphasizing that no one could have predicted this disaster. Speaking to ANI, the BJP MLA said that this is the first time that there has been flood in the Upper Assam region. He further said that Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is making every possible effort to provide assistance to the people by ensuring availability of all facilities and resources across the state.
MLA Kishore Nath said, “It is really sad; no one had anticipated this incident. It is a disaster, and disasters come without any warning… It happened suddenly; there had never been a flood in that area before. It was the first time I too heard about a flood in that area. Many people lost their lives in the flood, and we deeply regret it; we want to express our deepest condolences to their families. Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma They are making every possible effort to provide assistance. From day one till now, they are ensuring that all facilities and resources are provided to the people. Apart from this, BJP is also actively involved in the relief work… You might have also seen many NGOs, clubs and organizations coming forward to help after this very tragic incident.”
75 killed, 7 districts badly affected due to flood
Meanwhile, the death toll in the devastating Assam floods has risen to 75, with seven more deaths reported from Sivasagar district yesterday. According to the latest Disaster Reporting and Information Management System (DRIMS) report till July 28, all seven recent deaths were due to drowning in Sivasagar. Currently, seven districts – Sivasagar, Charaideo, Golaghat, Jorhat, Nagaon, Sonitpur and Kamrup (Metropolitan) – are severely affected by floods. The floods have affected a population of 3,32,639 in 622 villages in 21 revenue areas. Agriculture has suffered extensive damage, with 45,341.98 hectares of crop area currently submerged. Dhansiri river is flowing above the danger mark in Numaligarh, although no river has crossed the highest flood level mark so far.
Opposition targeted the government
Amid rising deaths due to floods in Assam, Congress leaders have criticized the BJP government’s management in handling the flood situation in the state and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to visit the flood-affected area. Congress MLA Dr Joy Prakash Das has urged the BJP-led government to pay compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the families of those killed in the floods and appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to visit the flood-affected area.
Das told ANI, “The situation is likely to deteriorate further; the death toll has already reached 75 and is continuously rising. It is very sad that we are losing our fellow citizens in a major disaster, a catastrophe. We are saddened by those who lost their lives and demand that the government pay a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the families of the deceased… As Congress MLAs, we are today contributing our last month’s salary to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. I demand that the Prime Minister and Amit Shah visit the affected areas to see the current plight of the people…”
Leader of Opposition in Assam Assembly Wazed Ali Choudhary has announced that the death toll in the Assam floods is expected to rise further. “We already knew that the number of deaths would rise further by 68 tomorrow. It has now reached 75, and the figure is expected to rise further,” Chaudhary told ANI.
Congress MLA Zakir Hussain Sikdar hit out at the BJP government over its handling of the flood situation in the state, saying the opposition has been raising the issue of Assam floods since day one and the death toll is expected to rise further. Demanding immediate action, Sikdar said that they had been urging the administration from the very beginning to take the situation seriously and had urged the government to deploy NDRF teams for rescue operations in the state.
Sikdar told ANI, “We have been talking about this since day one; the death toll is likely to rise further… We have been urging the authorities from the very beginning to take this matter seriously and deploy India’s expert NDRF teams for rescue operations. It is disappointing that despite the grave situation and ongoing work, not a single minister from the central government has come to visit the site…”
Chief Minister announced relief package
Meanwhile, after the number of deaths increased, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced a huge relief package for the affected population. Under the new relief measures, the state government has waived the requirement of post-mortem for payment of ex-gratia amount of Rs 4 lakh in flood-related deaths. In a significant move, the Chief Minister announced an additional Rs 5 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for the families of the deceased, taking the total assistance to Rs 9 lakh. Families of persons missing for more than 30 days will also be eligible for an ex-gratia amount of Rs 4 lakh. To provide immediate relief to the displaced, more than one lakh severely flood affected families will get Rs 15,000 cash for essential needs. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet News staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)