Centre releases Rs 207 crore for Assam floods

Inter-ministerial team to visit State to assess damage

BY OUR STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, August 25: The Central government will release Rs 207 crore immediately to Assam to meet the expenditure incurred while repairing the damage caused by floods, DoNER Minister Jitendra Singh said here on Tuesday, also stating that a inter-ministerial team will soon visit the State to take stock of the situation.

It may be noted that this amount is the second installment of Centre's share towards State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) to meet the flood situation in Assam even as the death toll climbed to 16.

The first matching installment of Rs 207 crore was released in May this year.

The Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) on Tuesday made an aerial visit to some of the flood-affected areas of the State.

The minister who also interacted with some flood victims in Bongaigaon, later addressed a press meet at LGBI airport and said, "We are going to release Rs 207 crore immediately to Assam and more funds will follow after the Assam government submits a memorandum including the assessment of the damage caused by the floods."

He also said the Centre is "very serious and committed about the Northeast".

The DoNER minister said NDRF teams have been deployed for rescue work in Tinsukia, Lakhimpur, Kokrajhar and Kamrup, and one NDRF battalion is stationed in Guwahati to move into action as and when required.

So far over 600 people have been evacuated from flood-affected areas and relief material has been distributed, he said.

"As the waters have started receding, our main concern is to ensure that there is no spread of diseases. We are going to send medical teams, including doctors and paramedics, to the flood-affected areas," Singh said. He maintained that the prompt action shown by the Central government in responding to this year's flood in Assam has helped in controlling casualties and damages.

Meanwhile, the overall flood situation in the state continued to improve margilly. The number of affected districts has come down to 13 from 19 during the peak floods. The water level of major rivers was also showing a gradual decreasing trend. The death toll rose to 16 with the recovery of two more bodies in western Assam.