After the field visit on Friday and Saturday, the team would hold meetings with the state government officials….reports Asian Lite News
An inter-ministerial Central team of six members will be on two-day visit to the flood-ravaged Assam beginning Friday to assess the damage to the properties, crops, loss of lives and other aspects of the deluge, officials said on Wednesday.
Officials of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said that the team, led by Ravinesh Kumar, Financial Advisor, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) of the Home Ministry, would visit Cachar, Dima Hasao, Darrang, Nagaon and Hojai districts to assess the extent of loss caused by rain-induced floods and landslides.
After the field visit on Friday and Saturday, the team would hold meetings with the state government officials.
The situation in Assam, where the pre-monsoon floods have affected large parts of the state since May 13, continued to improve for the fourth day on Wednesday, but still around 5.80 lakh people in 18 districts are affected. The death toll has risen to 27 till early on Wednesday.
Of the 27 deaths, 21 died in floods and remaining in landslides in different districts.
ASDMA officials said that at least 5,80,145 people, including 1,15,208 children, of 1,374 villages have been affected in 18 of the state’s 34 districts.
According to the ASDMA release, 64,098 hectares of crop areas (under 45 Revenue Circles) remained affected in flood-hit areas.
In all, 81,712 people are staying in the 346 relief camps, while the district administrations have also opened 182 relief distribution centres in all the affected areas.
Of the 18 flood-affected districts, the worst-hit were three – 3,46,291 people were affected in Nagaon alone followed by 1,77,954 people in Cachar and 40,941 in Morigaon district.
The Army, the Indian Air Force, the Assam Rifles, various para-military forces, the National Disaster Response Force, and the State Disaster Response Force, Civil Defence along with the district administrations, continue to work round the clock to rescue the stranded people and to provide relief to the marooned men, women and children.
Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said restoration work will start soon in Dima Hasao, after taking a stock of the situation in the district — affected severely by pre-monsoon rain and landslides.
The hilly Dima Hasao district has been cut off both rail and road links due to landslides at multiple locations.
“Restoration work will start soon. We are working to mitigate the risk due to landslides,” Sarma said.
Sarma has asked the PWD officials to take appropriate steps to re-construct the road at a fast pace. He also suggested looking for an alternative alignment to save the stretch of the road from future damages due to landslides.
He also stressed on immediate resumption of full-scale transportation and laid emphasis on the restoration of the damaged roads.
The landslide triggered by heavy rain rendered several people out of their home.
The Chief Minister also visited a few relief camps and interacted with the people put up there.