GUWAHATI, July 28 ? The Assam Government today sought financial assistance to the tune of Rs 6881.61 crore from the Central Government for relief, rehabilitation and restoration of infrastructure damaged by the devastating floods. The State Government placed the demand before the inter-ministerial Central team, visiting the State for assessing the damage caused by the floods.
An official release said that the Central team today discussed the flood scenario in a meeting with Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and senior State Government officials. The Chief Minister called upon the team members, headed by KS Sugathan, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, to make a correct assessment of the damages caused by floods so that the State gets adequate funds to deal with the situation. He said that the floods this year were unprecedented and left behind a trail of destruction all over the State. He pointed out that rehabilitation of the affected people and providing them means of livelihood would prove to be the biggest challenge before the State Government.
The Chief Minister pleaded for more funds from the National Calamity Contingency Fund. He gave an account of the relief and rehabilitation measures taken by the Government and asserted that there was no starvation deaths or outbreak of epidemic in any part of the State. He said that the State would require more boats for relief operations and storage of essential items in the remote areas. He also pointed out that timely warning about natural calamities could have enabled the State to mitigate the sufferings of the people.
The Chief Secretary, JP Rajkhowa submitted the preliminary assessment of the damages caused by the floods before the Central team and pointed out that the State would require an amount of Rs 6881.61 crore for relief rehabilitation and restoration of the damaged infrastructure. Giving a break-up, Rajkhowa said that Rs 1238.36 crore would be required to reconstruct the fully damaged houses and Rs 969 crore for the reconstruction of the partially damaged houses. He said that Rs 1000 crore would be required for the crop area damaged, Rs 100 crore for partial restoration programme for agriculture, Rs 514.25 crore for restoration of the PWD roads and bridges, Rs 386 crore for repairing the breached embankments, Rs 59.29 crore for restoration of the health establishments, Rs 34.39 crore for fisheries, Rs 8.61 crore for transport, Rs 109.23 crore for veterinary and animal husbandry, Rs 301.85 crore for panchayat and rural development, Rs 164.61 crore for educational institutions, Rs 14.44 crore for forest, Rs 67.43 crore for irrigation, Rs 14.27 crore for urban infrastructure, Rs 570 crore for other government buildings and public utilities, Rs 100 crore for loss of agriculture land, Rs one crore for payment of ex gratia to the next of kin of those killed in floods and Rs 1000 crore for implementing a scheme ?living with floods?. He further said that Rs 220 crore would be required for providing relief to the badly affected people for a period of six months. The leader of the Central team said that they had toured different parts of the State to assess the damages and would place its assessment before the Central Government.