NEW DELHI, Aug 18 � Following demands by MPs in the Parliament, the Centre is likely to send a Central team to Assam to assess the flood situation in the State.
The Prime Minister has conveyed this to a group of MPs from the State who raised the issue when they met him in the Parliament, Biswajeet Daimary (BPF) told this newspaper.
The MPs had a chance meeting after the issue of floods in Assam figured in the Rajya Sabha this afternoon. Raising the issue, AGP MP Biren Baishya demanded that a Central team be rushed to Assam with adequate food and medicine supplies.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Baishya said that the floods in the State have become critical, particularly in Dhemaji, Jonai and Dhakuwakhana. At least eight persons have lost their lives, while 8 lakh people were rendered homeless and thousands of hectares of cultivated land washed away by surging water. Further, railway and road communication have been disrupted.
Alleging total failure of disaster management in the State, Baishya referred to an incident in Dhemaji district, where an entire family was killed after water washed away a tree, which they climbed to take shelter. He said people have taken shelter on roof tops, roads and embankment and are a waiting help.
The AGP MP directly appealed to the Prime Minister, who was present in the House, to declare the flood in Assam as a national problem, stating that it was a long-pending demand of the State.
Joining the discussion, Kumar Deepak Das urged the Prime Minister to visit the State to get a firsthand knowledge of the flood.
Das also called for adequate compensation to the surviving members of the family, which lost seven persons in the floods and punishment of the officials who failed to provide timely help. He also demanded an inquiry to find out where the funds sanctioned for anti-erosion measures have gone. Erosion continues unabated, despite crore of rupees being spend on anti-erosion measures, he alleged.
Meanwhile, an official spokesman of the Ministry of Home Affairs said that six teams, consisting of 166 personnel, have been deployed along with equipment in Assam including Kamrup (16), Dhubri (31), Lakhimpur (27), Sonitpur (32), Jorhat (29) and Dhemaji (31). The teams have been deployed for emergent response and rescue operations in case of floods or any other disaster.
