Chief Minister also met Nitin Gadkari and received assurance on prompt repair of flood-damaged highways, construction of flood-resilient NHs and speeding up of flagship road projects in the state.
Staff Reporter
Guwahati: Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday evening met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the national capital and briefed him on the flood situation in Assam and the damage caused by the recent floods, besides discussing several other important matters concerning the state. He also met Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, in New Delhi today.
Meanwhile, floodwaters continue to affect 98 villages in five districts of the state. The five districts are Cachar, Sivasagar, Golaghat, Nagaon and Jorhat. The death toll in the floods, as of this morning, is 105. Five relief camps are still operational in Sivasagar, and 162 inmates are sheltering there. The inmates in the relief camps include children as well as pregnant women and lactating mothers. The state government started damage assessment of houses in flood-affected areas on August 9, and the process will continue until August 30.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister apprised the Union Home Minister of the scale of the damage and the steps being taken by the state government for relief, rehabilitation and restoration.
Union Minister Shah acknowledged the scale of the flood damage and assured the Assam government of the Government of India's unequivocal support for rehabilitation and restoration efforts in the affected areas.
The Chief Minister said the Union Home Minister had remained in constant touch with the state government throughout the floods.
Taking to X after the meeting, the CM said, "I had the privilege of meeting Hon'ble Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah Ji in New Delhi and briefing him on the #AssamFloodResponse, along with several other important matters concerning Assam. Throughout the #AssamFloods, he remained in constant touch with us. In today's meeting too, he acknowledged the scale of damage caused by the floods. He assured the Government of India's unequivocal support for rehabilitation and restoration," the Chief Minister said.
CM Sarma further said that he came away from every meeting with Shah "enriched by his meticulous attention to detail, and his unwavering commitment to a secure and stable Assam".
The Chief Minister today met with Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi and received assurances regarding repair of flood-damaged roads and building flood-resilient highways.
Taking to X after the meeting, the CM posted, "Concluded a very fruitful and detailed meeting with Hon'ble Union Minister Shri @nitin_gadkari Ji in New Delhi."
He went on to state that the discussions focused on:
1. Restoring flood-damaged National Highways at the earliest.
2. Building more flood-resilient highways, using evidence-based planning to improve the design and placement of culverts and bridges.
3. Addressing flash flooding at Jorabat through a comprehensive redesign of the highway infrastructure. Grateful for the Minister's assurance of the highest consideration.
4. Accelerating flagship road projects, including the Kaziranga Elevated Corridor, Guwahati Ring Road and upgradation of key highway stretches across Assam.
The CM also posted, "Grateful for the Hon'ble Minister's assurance of the highest consideration and continued support in strengthening Assam's road infrastructure."
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