GUWAHATI, July 27 ? With recession of water level of most of the rivers, the overall flood situation in the State is showing signs of improvement. However, the damaged road and rail links between the upper and lower parts of the State remain to be fully restored. The death toll in the current wave of floods has shot up to 181, said the official flood bulletin issued here this evening. National Highway 37 has been opened for traffic even as flow of traffic is yet to pick up. Majority of the affected people are still taking shelter in the makeshift camps on the highways, which also restricted traffic movement.
According to the flood bulletin, though the flood situation in Morigaon district started improving yet road communication remains disrupted. The death toll in floods here has also shot up to 38. The situation in Barak valley districts of Cachar and Karimganj is also improving. Though road communication between Karimganj and Guwahati via Jowai has been restored yet road communication to Cachar and Hailakandi still remains disrupted. Parts of Silchar town are under water.
According to a press release issued by Minister of State for Panchayat and Rural Development, Ripun Bora, the two waves of flood this year affected mostly the rural development schemes undertaken by the State Government. He said that as per preliminary estimates, schemes worth around Rs 302 crore have been affected. The department has submitted videotape on the devastation caused by the floods to the visiting Central team.
Meanwhile, in response to the Chief Secretary appeal to all the IAS officers and non-IAS secretary rank officials in the State secretariat to donate one day?s salary to the Chief Minister?s Relief Fund for the benefit of the flood affected people of the State, 25 IAS officers and non-IAS secretary rank officers have donated a day?s salary worth Rs 28907 to the Relief Fund. The Chief Secretary has also asked the Deputy Commissioners and Sub divisional officers (Civil) to request their office employees to donate one day?s salary to the fund.
Several organisations, individuals and enterprises have so far come forward to donate to the fund responding to the Chief Minister?s general appeal. Today, Assam Carbon Products Limited donated Rs 5 lakh; SEBA Rs 50,101; Retired ACS officers Forum Rs 10,000 and the Dharampal Satyapal Group donated Rs 11 lakh to the fund.
Our Jagiroad Correspondent reports: Repair of the damaged portions of NH-37 is going on and district police is controlling traffic movement in that part of the highway. On the other hand, the Jagiroad-Morigaon link road remained submerged for the ninth consecutive day today.
Meanwhile, several organisations including the Army have been organising health check-up camps in the affected areas like Amlighat and Jagiroad. An AGP team led by its president Brindaban Goswami visited the affected areas under Jagiroad Assembly constituency today. Later addressing mediapersons here, Goswami alleged that the State administration had totally failed in extending relief to the affected people.
Our Staff Correspondent from Dibrugarh adds: A three-member team of Central inspectors today visited the city to assess the flood damages in the Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts. The Deputy Commissioners of the two districts gave a detailed presentation on the matter and on the relief measures taken to provide succour to the flood-affected population.
Themembers who arrived in the city today were the joint secretary in the Union Home Ministry KS Sugathan and representatives from the Union Environment & Forest Ministry and the Union Rural Development Ministry, BS Bonal and KP Saroha, respectively. The Commissioner of Urban Development to the Government of Assam, CK Sarmah, accompanied the Central team.