Guwahati: Member of Parliament from Nowgong and a senior Congress leader, Pradyut Bordoloi has urged Assam Floods to be declared a national calamity/disaster and also increase the central aid by the government.
He stated this in a letter to the other MPs and have asked them to demand the government the same.
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In his letter, Bordoloi said, “I am writing to you all in the wake of the devastating floods my home state of Assam is witnessing. Within a span of a month, Assam is seeing its second wave of flooding, far more severe in nature in comparison to floods in the past decades, along with severe riverbank erosion.”
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He added, “Given the nature and scale of flooding in Assam, and that it involves the larger question of river-basin management, the role and support of the Union Government is key. The comprehensive tackling of flooding and riverine erosion, cannot be left to the meagre resources of a single state like Assam. As per data provided in the Lok Sabha (Q.2668/14th Dec 2021), no funds were released under NDRF to Assam in the years 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2021-22. In 2020-21, while the State Government sought Rs 2642.99 crores for restoration works, only a mere Rs 44.37 crores was released.”
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The MP added, “In this context, I draw your attention to the long-standing plea to declare flooding in Assam as a national calamity because this perennial problem of Assam has to be addressed holistically.”
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The demand came as 40% of Assam’s area (close to 32 lakh hectares) being flood-prone, roughly four times higher than the national mark of 10.2%, the issue of water-induced disasters in Assam is “too grave” to be relegated as a regional or state demand.
“In the upcoming Monsoon session of Parliament, I urge Members of Parliament across party and state lines to consider raising the demand for comprehensive and sustainable interventions for flooding and erosion in Assam, for flooding to be declared as a national calamity, and for responsibility of flood management and control to be fixed primarily with the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, among other recommendations by the Standing Committee on the Water Resources on 2020-21”,he added.
He further requested the MPs to use their “platforms to amplify this much sidelined” issue and to consider appealing to the Union Government for an increase in the quantum of central aid for Assam.
He also requested them to contribute to relief efforts in any way possible to them.