Guwahati: In a unusual show of authority, the Assam Assembly Speaker Pranab Kumar Gogoi on Tuesday flayed the state government for its alleged failure in implementing flood control measures saying the state “can not run on assurances”.
During Question Hour, minister of state (Independent Charge) for Water Resources Rajib Lochan Pegu answered a query on erosion and flood control measures asked by Asom Gana Parishad’s (AGP) Phani Bhusan Choudhury.
Dissatisfied with the reply, Gogoi said, “Nothing has happened so far to stop erosion along the Brahmaputra and other rivers. So many schemes were launched but no action has been taken. There should be a systematic approach to handle the flood situation.”
The Speaker gave an example of an embankment breach about two years ago, which has not been repaired till now with full satisfaction.
“The CM has given assurance. You have given assurance. Everyone is giving assurance. Assam can not run on assurance,” Gogoi said. He expressed unhappiness on the government starting work on erosion and repairing breached embankments just before the onset of monsoon every year.
Replying to this, Pegu said “Funds for this are usually approved in March and we finally get it around April. So it takes a lot of time. We have already requested the Centre to expedite the process.”
Earlier answering the question of Choudhury, Pegu said total length of all embankments in Assam is 4,473.82 km, out of which 3,918 km of embankments have past their usefulness. “We have sent a proposal of about Rs 4,000 crore to the Centre for strengthening weak embankments,” he added.
Pegu said the state Water Resources department has received a total of Rs 1,344.86 crore from the Centre from 2001-02 till June 30, 2013. Out of this, the state government has utilised Rs 1,343.95 crore.
During the 2012 floods, 74 embankments were breached at different places in the state and 73 have been repaired, he said adding, 56.52 sq km of land have been recovered so far which was washed away in erosion.
“As per Brahmaputra Board data, a total of 20.52 sq km of land have been recovered from (the world’s largest river island) Majuli between 2004 and 2013,” Pegu said.
To a separate question by AGP’s Keshab Mahanta, Revenue and Disaster Management minister Prithibi Majhi said a total of 4.7 lakh hectares of land have been eroded since 1958.
Opposition members also criticised Majhi for allegedly providing flood related data “with full of discrepancies”.
All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) MLAs asked the Speaker to move a Privilege Motion against Majhi for “providing false information on erosion in the House to mislead its members”. (PTI)