Gaurav Gogoi Slams Centre’s ‘Lackadaisical’ Response to Majuli Erosion Crisis

Guwahati: Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi has questioned the effectiveness of the Centre’s flood and erosion-control measures in Assam after the Ministry of Jal Shakti acknowledged damage to two recently executed protection projects in Majuli.

Gogoi had approached Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil on June 24, drawing attention to the worsening erosion in Majuli and other parts of Upper Assam. In a statement issued after receiving the ministry’s response, the Congress leader said several of his key concerns remained unanswered.

The ministry has reportedly confirmed that nearly 3.3 km of the 7.2-km GeoBag embankment at Bhakat Chapori was washed away during flooding. The project was intended to protect the area from riverbank erosion.

Gogoi also highlighted the Kordoiguri protection project, where around one kilometre of the completed work was reportedly affected following a change in the course of the river.

The Congress MP questioned how major protection works could fail soon after being constructed and asked what steps had been taken to prevent similar failures in the future.

“Both projects failed to serve the very purpose they were built for,” Gogoi said in a post on August 19.

He said the ministry’s response did not clearly explain the reasons behind the damage, identify responsibility or provide details of remedial measures being undertaken at the affected locations.

Gogoi had earlier called for a comprehensive technical assessment of the erosion situation by a high-level expert team. He also demanded a review of Brahmaputra Board projects implemented across Assam during the past 20 years to determine why some protection measures have failed.

The Congress MP has sought permanent protection for several erosion-prone locations, including Kordoiguri, Bhakat Chapori, Mohorichuk, Charigharia and Missamora. He had also urged the Union Minister to visit Assam and meet residents facing displacement and livelihood losses because of erosion.

According to Gogoi, the continuing loss of land to the Brahmaputra has placed thousands of people in Majuli and other parts of Upper Assam under prolonged distress.

He accused the authorities of failing to respond with the urgency required and said repeated project failures raise serious questions about the planning and implementation of erosion-control works.

“The people of Assam have suffered enough from recurring floods and erosion,” Gogoi said, arguing that the latest response from the ministry does not provide adequate assurance that a durable solution is being pursued.

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