Himanta Biswa Sarma in Bajali. Image: Northeast Now

Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday visited the flood-ravaged Bajali sub-division and took stock of the situation there.

After a thorough review of the situation, the minister admitted that flood-damaged the Bajali Subdivisional Civil Hospital and said that the government is planning to construct the hospital.

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“Government is planning to construct the hospital anew and Rs 16 crores have already been sanctioned. Tendering process is also over,” said the minister.

He further informed that that option is still open to change the drawing of the hospital and construct it with the level of National highway, keeping proper drainage measure in the purview so that flood can’t affect hospital easily in future.

The minister also thanked the hospital staff and local people who along with the SDRF rescue team evacuated the patients before the deluge hit the hospital.

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The hospital’s condition is yet to return to normalcy and the patients are still at Marwari Dharamsala where they were shifted.

When asked about the state government’s plan to mitigate the flood havoc caused by the release of water from the dam by Bhutan, the minister said that Bhutan is a different country and they can’t possibly do anything about the dams of the country.

“However, we have to chalk out a new plan to manage the released water by linking rivers such an Aii, Beki, Pahumara and share the water. We also need to construct high and strong embankments scientifically,” he said.

“Rain is nature created and no government can control it. Even if there are no dams, the rainwater from the hills will naturally flow down to the plains,” Sarma added.

Sarma further said that the government will give maximum effort for the relief and the rehabilitation of the people affected in the deluge.

“The flood-hits will receive relief and compensation as per the scheduled norms,” said Sarma.

Even as people have started to return from the relief camps, however, they still have a lot to do as their houses need major repair works.