GUWAHATI: Shaken by the widespread devastation caused by the back to back three waves of floods so far this year, the chief minister of flood-affected Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday rush to New Delhi to meet the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and apprise the latter of preliminary damage of the third wave of flood that has affected 24 districts of the state.
An official source here informed that besides drawing the attention of the Prime Minister to the destruction caused by the flood in the State which have so far affected nearly 34 lakh people, Sonowal would also request Narendra Modi to constitute an inter-ministerial team headed by a Cabinet Minister to visit the flood ravaged Assam and assess the post-flood impact and loss in terms of lives and properties. He would also ask the Prime Minister for the inter-ministerial team’s help in assessing the breaches caused on embankments and thereby repairing and strengthening them to enable them to be used as dyke cum roads.
The chief minister would also discuss on the probable modus operandi for thrashing out a permanent solution of flood and erosion in Assam whose economy is at the mercy of perennial flood and erosion problem.
It may be noted that during Narendra Modi’s last visit to review the flood situation in State on August 1, he announced Rs. 100 for in depth study of the river Brahmaputra and its tributaries to find out permanent solution to the perennial flood problem in the State.
Sonowal would also request Modi to involve neighbouring states and Bhutan for hammering out a permanent solution to flood in Assam. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had expressed his concern over the recurrence of floods and the widespread destruction it caused.
Sonowal is likely to hold discussion with the line departments in New Delhi to study the course of the river Brahmaputra and carry out dredging throughout the entire course of the river from Sadiya (East) to Dhubri (west).
