NEW DELHI, Aug 27 - The Government of Assam has sought Rs 500 crore as immediate financial assistance for relief, rehabilitation and restoration of communication devastated by floods and erosion in the State.
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, who met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh at his North Block office here this morning, made a plea for immediate financial assistance for Rs 500 crore for carrying out relief, rehabilitation and restoration of communication.
The Chief Minister also wrote to the Prime Minister seeking flood assistance. He urged the Prime Minister to immediately release of Rs 387 crore under the National Disaster Response Fund.
Gogoi said, �I am given to understand that the sanctioned amount for Rs 387 crore under NDRF is to be adjusted against the unspent balance of State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), which will be a grave injustice, because the unspent balance of SDRF is committed against projects already sanctioned and we, in fact, need more funds to meet the committed liabilities.�
Gogoi requested Modi to release the Central share of Rs 257 crore against the Flood Management Programme (FMP) schemes taken up under the 11th Plan for which the State Government has already released its share. Gogoi further pleaded for release of the Central share for Rs 1,016 crore for FMP schemes under the 12th Plan.
The Chief Minister, meanwhile, told the Union Home Minister that preliminary assessment of the flood damages is going on and the final report detailing the damages would be submitted to the Ministry when the flood waters recede.
�Detailed assessment of losses to infrastructure, crops and properties has been initiated and detailed memorandum will be submitted shortly,� he said.
�The State Government, however, needs immediate financial assistance to the tune of Rs 500 crore to meet the challenges of relief, rehabilitation and restoration,� he added.
Talking to newsmen after the meeting, Gogoi said that he has not submitted any report to the Home Minister, but reminded him to release the pending funds. The funds that is pending release since long should be released,� said Gogoi.
Gogoi also requested Singh to clear the committed liabilities made by the Central Government to the damages caused by flood last year to the tune of Rs 2,485.13 crore to undertake immediate restoration and rehabilitation measures in flood-affected areas.
Giving a detailed account of the substantial damages caused by floods to human lives, cattle, crops, infrastructure and other properties, the Chief Minister said the current fourth wave of flood has affected 19 districts, the worst-hit being Kokrajhar, Dhubri, Bongaigaon, Chirang, Barpeta and Goalpara.
�Around 8.5 lakh people of more than 1,400 villages had to bear the brunt of flood. We had to set up nearly 300 relief camps for about 2 lakh people evacuated from the flood-affected villages. Flood has claimed 27 human lives so far,� he told the Home Minister.
Gogoi apprised Singh about the extensive damages to embankments with breaches at 28 locations. The preliminary assessment conducted by the State Water Resources Department revealed that an amount of Rs 63 crore would be required for plugging the breaches to the embankments and Rs 200 crore for restoration of critically damaged flood management structures, the Home Minister was informed.
The Chief Minister further pointed out that though the inter-ministerial team had recommended an amount of Rs 414.393 crore, the Government of India had sanctioned only Rs 387.20 crore under National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).
