Central team to visit Assam to asses flood situation

Guwahati: Union minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday said a high level inter-ministerial team would visit Assam within a month to asses damages by the floods, which have claimed at least 44 lives so far.

Rijiju today toured flood-ravaged Lakhimpur, Dhemaji and Majuli districts along with senior central and state government officials.

Rijiju said that sufficient emergency fund has already been released to the state, which can currently utilise Rs 500 crore available under State Disaster Response Force fund, Dhemaji Deputy Commissioner Roshni Aparanji Korati told PTI.

Earlier in the day, he visited Lakhimpur and met victims, who have taken shelter on an embankment following inundation of their houses by Ranganodi river.

"The Centre is very concerned about the flood situation in Assam. It will provide all assistance to the state to cope up with the situation. We have already released the money under SDRF fund. If required, more money will come in," the Union minister of state for home told reporters.

He said the water resources and the public works departments have been instructed to repair the damaged embankments and roads urgently to minimise the impact.

Rijiju was accompanied by NITI Aayog Joint Secretary Vikram Singh Gaur, Assam Water Resources Minister Keshab Mahanta, Assam Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Naba Kumar Doley along with other senior officials.

Forty four people have lost their lives this year due to the floods in Assam while over 17 lakh people have been affected across the state.

Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jitendra Singh, meanwhile, called Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today and expressed concern over the impact of floods in Assam.

According to an official release, Singh conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's deep anguish over the loss of lives and properties in the current floods in the state.

"The Centre is very much with the people of Assam at this time of crisis and assures all possible help to normalise the situation," he was quoted to have said.

Singh also said that the prime minister has entrusted him of all responsibilities to extend all help from the Centre so that the state can tide over the impact of the flood.

The statement said that Sonowal has directed the resident commissioner of Assam Bhawan in New Delhi to liaison with the DoNER Ministry and furnish an exhaustive account of the loss in terms of lives and properties in the current flood.