Guwahati, Oct 6: Assam Trinamool Congress has demanded a thorough investigation into the utilisation of funds allocated for flood control in Guwahati, alleging “mismanagement and financial anomalies” on the part of the authorities concerned and subsequent failure to tackle the recurrent floods plaguing the capital city.
Notably, relentless rain over the past few days has triggered flash floods and water-logging in several areas of Guwahati, leaving residents in distress.
“Mismanagement by the state government has led to Guwahati residents enduring a nightmarish ordeal owing to the relentless artificial floods. The root cause of this predicament lies in the failure to promptly clean the city’s drainage system, leaving residents grappling with the aftermath of flooding,” Dilip Sharma, media chairman of the Assam Trinamool Congress said on Friday.
“For years, the people of Guwahati have been subjected to difficult conditions caused by artificial floods. Despite promises by the government to resolve the issue, the commitments have proven to be mere illusions as the problem of artificial floods still persists,” Sharma said.
Furthermore, he underscored the lack of timely action by the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) and Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) to prevent flash floods in the city.
“According to a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), the authorities have failed to utilise Rs 209 crore last year. Specifically, the GMC and GMDA could not utilize the Rs 15 crore allocated for drainage cleaning, Rs 12 crore for solid waste management and Rs 16 crore for artificial flood control,” the TMC leader pointed out.
“An alarming revelation emerged in October 2021 when Guwahati Smart City Limited had purchased 10 super-suckers at a staggering cost of Rs 26 crore with the intention of deploying them to clean the city’s drains. However, owing to inadequate management, these valuable assets have been abandoned, leaving flood-prone areas such as Anil Nagar, Nabin Nagar, Zoo-Road, Hatigaon and Gandhi Basti in a precarious situation,” he alleged.