Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday visited the flood and erosion hit areas of Lakhimpur and inspected the various embankments in the district.
Sonowal visited Hekerajan in Bogeenadi under Dhakuwakhona sub-division in Lakhimpur and inspected the site of the affected portion of Hekerajan eroded by the Subansiri.
Sonowal also visited the areas affected by erosion by Charikodiya river near Dhakuwakhona College in Dhakuwakhona.
He was accompanied by Lakhimpur MP Pradan Baruah, state water resource minister Keshab Mahanta and local MLA and state minister Naba Kumar Doley.
Earlier on Tuesday night the Chief Minister visited the flood and erosion hit areas of Na-Ali in North Lakhimpur Revenue Circle.
CM Sonowal inspected the erosion-protection works carried out by the state water resources department at Balighat near Na-Ali on the downstream of Subansiri.
The Chief Minister arrived in Dhalpur under Narayanpur Revenue Circle from Gohpur on Tuesday afternoon and straightway went to erosion hit Jamuguri area of the district.
He visited the worst affected the No. 3 check-bund off the Brahmaputra in Bonpuroi area of Jamuguri.
Chief Minister Sonowal was accompanied by state Water Resources Minister Keshab Mahanta, Rural Development and Panchayat minister Naba Kumar Doley, Tezpur MP Pallab Lochan Das, Lakhimpur MP Pradan Baruah and Bihpuria MLA Debananda Hazarika.
Speaking to the media persons Chief Minister Sonowal announced that riverbank erosion had been categorized as a natural calamity in the 15th Finance Commission and works would begin as soon as the funds meant for it received.
“Erosion was not considered as a natural disaster till the 14th Finance Commission and now it has been categorized as so from 15th Finance Commission which will contribute in checking the problem,” said CM Sonowal.
He also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for creating North East Water Management Authority with Deputy Chairman of NITI Ayog as its President and members from all NE states to prepare a project report on the flood-erosion problem of the region to mitigate the problem.
Later the Chief Minister arrived at North Lakhimpur and held discussions with officials of the district administration on flood and erosion situation.
Ex-Chief Minister Prafulla Mahanta also visited the flood-erosion hit areas of Na-Ali in North Lakhimpur on Tuesday.