GUWAHATI:A commission would be formed in Assam to ensure that its vast water resources are used efficiently, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said on Saturday.
“The highest rainfall in the country is in the North east region. Yet there is water shortage here. The commission will be set up for proper utilisation of the water resources,” Gogoi told reporters here adding a study was being conducted for channeling the water resources.
“Earlier the water resources were not properly utilised … Four lakh hectares across the state have been eroded by the rivers. We will take up projects to prevent such largescale damage.”
On apprehensions about diversion of Brahmaputra river in China, Gogoi said the bulk of the river’s water flows through Assam. It enters Assam with 78 billion cubic metres of water and falls into Padma river with only 600 million cubic metre.
Assam had stressed on development of the waterways and connectivity here to remove regional disparity during the regional consultative meeting on the Approach Paper on the 12th Five Year Plan here this week by the Planning Commission, he said,”Transportation cost can be cut down by one third through waterways and ecological balance improved if navigation facilities of Brahmaputra is tapped”, he said.
The chief minister said big industries were hesitant about investing in Assam despite incentives as there was no market for their products and the government does not have huge tracks of land to allot to them. (PTI)
