Declare Floods As A National Problem: AAWRCA

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The All Assam Water Resources Contractors' Association (AAWRCA) has said unless and until the Centre declares floods as a national problem and releases adequate funds to implement flood-control schemes on time, the plight being faced by the people of the State due to the annual natural disaster will never cease.

Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, Muhi Borgohain, the president of the AAWRCA, denied all allegations leveled against the contractors making them responsible for the recent floods that devastated the people's lives and property in different parts of the State. He instead blamed the State Government for the recent floods.

"The State government has been treating the Water Resource Department (WRD) as only a supplementary department and hence the burning problem of the State could not be mitigated year after year. The government has never allocated adequate funds for the WRD in the State budget and did not release the fund on time to the contractors for implementing embankment construction projects," Borgohain alleged.

Borgohain alleged that since several big firms outside Assam have not been able to complete execution of various anti-flood & erosion schemes, the State government is trying to pass the buck on local contractors who always complete all projects on time.

Demanding a pragmatic decision on the e-tendering process in the WRD, the AAWRCA has decided to put pressure on both the Centre and the State government to declare flood as a national problem, constitution of a separate commission to tame the Brahmaputra, forming a high-level committee with local experts to find pragmatic solution to floods and release of funds on time to execute projects effectively.

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