Guwahati: The Tai Ahom Jatiya Parishad has sought a one-time Rs 20,000-crore financial package from the Centre for flood-hit Upper Assam, while Raijor Dal MLA Akhil Gogoi has demanded that the Assam government provide at least Rs 10 lakh in compensation to every affected family.
The demands were made separately on Sunday amid continuing concerns over relief and rehabilitation following the recent devastating floods in Upper Assam.
Addressing a press conference after an executive committee meeting in Moran, the Tai Ahom Jatiya Parishad said the Centre should announce a special rehabilitation package of Rs 20,000 crore for people affected by the floods.
The organisation said a central delegation of the committee would soon visit flood-affected areas to assess the extent of the damage.
The committee also passed resolutions on the forthcoming caste-based Census, urging members of the Ahom community to write “Ban-Phi-Dam” or “Ahom Hindu” in the religion column to preserve their distinct religious identity. It further appealed to the community to register “Tai Axomiya” as their mother tongue during the Census.
The announcements were made by the organisation’s working president, Dayananda Borgohain, in the presence of general secretary Amar Jyoti Arandhara, Tai Ahom Students’ Union president Milan Borgohain and working president Debajit Gogoi.
Meanwhile, Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi said the financial assistance announced by the Assam government was inadequate to compensate families that had lost homes, property and livelihoods.
“The government should provide at least Rs 10 lakh to every affected family. It can be released in instalments. First, provide Rs 2 lakh immediately so that people can begin rebuilding their lives, and then release the remaining amount in phases,” he told reporters.
Gogoi said the government’s announced assistance of Rs 15,000 for flood-affected families and Rs 25,000 for affected residents of Sivasagar and Charaideo districts would not be sufficient to cover the losses suffered by people.
He also alleged irregularities in the distribution of relief materials, claiming that while the government had announced 8 kg of rice in each Chief Minister’s relief packet, several beneficiaries had reported receiving only 5 kg.
The Raijor Dal legislator urged the government to investigate the alleged discrepancy and ensure that flood-affected families receive the full quantity of relief promised to them.
The Assam government has been carrying out relief and rehabilitation measures through relief camps, distribution centres and financial assistance in flood-hit districts. However, opposition parties and civil society organisations have continued to question both the adequacy of the compensation package and the implementation of relief measures.