NEW DELHI, July 18 - The Assam Congress on Thursday demanded that an expert central team should visit Assam immediately to assess the flood damage and recommend payment of compensation, besides streamlining the functioning of the State government.
Addressing a press conference here, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Ripun Bora and Lok Sabha MP Pradyut Bordoloi also demanded immediate release of the balance fund so that adequate relief and rehabilitation can be provided on a war footing to the flood-hit people in the State.
Assam Congress members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have staged demonstration inside and outside Parliament seeking a permanent solution to the flood problem in the State.
�Prime Minister Narendra Modi had claimed that he had visited Assam 19 times and the other day, he also claimed that the NDA government gives top priority to the Northeast and every month, one central minister will visit the region. But the Prime Minister has not visited Assam so far. We demand that the Prime Minister should also visit Assam,� Bora said.
He said that last year�s backlog to Assam was Rs 559 crore and after the Congress raised a hue and cry, the Centre released Rs 251 crore. �But the funds should have been released much earlier to enable the State government to take precautionary measures against floods,� he said.
�According to our information, Rs 251 crore will not be given to flood affected people but will be used to pay the pending bills. It is practically an eyewash, because victims will not be benefited,� he claimed.
�The Central government has neglected the flood problem of Assam and there is no response to our demand for declaring it as a national problem,� he said, adding that the UPA government under Dr Manmohan Singh had appointed a study group, and �it was included in our central election manifesto�.
Referring to the NRC, Bora said the Congress wants publication of the final list on July 31. �The deadline was given by the Supreme Court at least one year ago, but we fail to understand what the State government has been doing for the last one year,� he added.