GUWAHATI, July 7 � The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) submitted a memorandum to Governor JB Patnaik, demanding his intervention in expediting flood relief and rehabilitation in view of the �total failure� of the State government in reaching out to lakhs of flood-hit families in their hour of acute distress.
The AGP memorandum, submitted on Thursday, stated that as per the Government�s own admission, nearly 20 lakh people had been affected by the current wave of floods but so far a meagre 1,700 MT foodgrain had reached the flood-hit.
�There have been very little supply of essential items, including foodstuff, kerosene, tarpaulin sheets, candles, clothes, medicine, etc., to the marooned, flood-affected people who have been left to fend for themselves,� AGP working president Atul Bora said.
Bora said that in addition to immediate relief, the government was doing precious little to put in place a long-term mechanism aimed at rehabilitating the flood-hit bereft of livelihood. �The government must have a long-term plan for rehabilitation of the affected people. Similarly, it needs to expedite the restoration of infrastructure, including roads and bridges, communication, etc. Schools should be rebuilt immediately and textbooks supplied to the students,� he said.
Bora said that the State Disaster Management Authority remained only on paper as its functions were largely invisible. �It should be equipped with the necessary expertise, facilities and manpower at the earliest,� he added.
Bora further demanded a White Paper on all the funds that had come to the State for flood and erosion control during the Congress government.
The memorandum called for according adequate protective measures in the form of highlands and security for the national parks and wildlife sanctuaries that had borne the brunt of the flood damages.
The AGP reiterated its demand for declaring the floods as a national problem for expediting a long-term mechanism to address it.
