GUWAHATI, Aug 24 - A six-member Central team would arrive in Assam on Wednesday to assess the damage caused by the monsoon floods that affected 57 lakh people and killed at least 113 people between May 22 and August 20, officials said on Monday.
Revenue Department Commissioner-cum-Secretary M.S. Manivannan said that the Central team led by Sandeep Poundrik, Joint Secretary (Mitigation), National Disaster Management Authority, would visit some flood-affected districts to assess the damage to property, crops and various other assets including river dams.
�During the three-day visit to the State, the Central team would hold meetings with senior officials of the Assam government and Disaster Management Authority,� Manivannan told IANS over phone. He said that the Assam government has sent an interim flood damage report to the Centre and has demanded around Rs 2,300 crore as compensation for the tragedy.
�The floods since May and until August 20 had caused huge damage to the infrastructure including roads, bridges and embankments,� he said.
He also said that over 81,000 people were rescued by the National Disaster Response Force and Assam State Disaster Response Force personnel.
Like previous years, Assam this year too witnessed devastating floods that killed 113 people in 22 districts, while 26 others were killed in landslides since May 22. With a respite in monsoon rains, the situation significantly improved in the first week of this month even as 57 lakh people have been affected in 5,378 villages in 30 of the State�s 33 districts. � IANS
