DIBRUGARH, June 14 - A group of senior citizens, accompanied by Lahowal MLA Rituparna Baruah and Dibrugarh Municipal Board chairman Anuradha Dey today visited several sites of ongoing and completed flood protection works of the Water Resources Department along the Brahmaputra from Amolapatty to Rohmaria. The team expressed satisfaction at the completion and progress of works.
The team also visited the embankment improvement works at the Pologround area, where locals have expressed concern at the obstruction caused to the development works by the Army. Technically, a portion of Pologround land belongs to the Army, and residents in the adjacent areas contest the Army claim, and have even gone to the court to claim their ownership.
Work at the area suffered delays last year, and even now, a vital ramp to the riverside is yet to be constructed. It may be mentioned here that the Dibrugarh town protection dyke is being strengthened and raised over a length of 8530 metres from Maijan to Amolapatty at a cost of about Rs 26 crore in the first phase. The second phase of this project is being worked out.
At Rohmaria, work worth Rs 60 crores was completed way back in 2012. The work, comprising laying of geobags and revetments over a length of 2.6 kms has resulted in significant erosion control. Another geobag and cement concrete block laying work over a length of 2.4 kms was completed last month, at a cost of Rs 33 crores at Nagaghoolie.
Most of the above works are being funded by a loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). This source is also being tapped for two more flood and erosion protection works here. One is the raising and strengthening of the Motholla-Oakland embankment over 9.1 kms and the second work is for geobag apron and revetment installation between Rohmaria and Nagaghoolie. Both these projects are currently awaiting Central Water Commission (CWC) clearance. Another Flood Mitigation Programme scheme for erosion control at Rohmaria and upstream, worth Rs 79 crores, is also awaiting CWC clearance.
The citizens� team included retired college teacher and sports organiser, Dhirendra Nath Baruah, Ron Duarah, Chiranjeet Baruah, Narendra Saharia, Sudama Singh, and Dipuranjan Markary, among others. Engineers of the Water Resources department and FREMAA explained the projects.
