Failure to mitigate flood problem: Dhemaji AASU locks down WRD divisional office

A CORRESPONDENT

LAKHIMPUR: The Dhemaji district unit of the All Assam Students' Union (AASU), with the support of flood-affected people, initiated massive protest programme on Saturday against the comprehensive failure on the part of the Dhemaji Divisional Office of the Water Resources Department (WRD) with regard to controlling the miserable flood problem of the district.

Under any government, be it Congress-led government or BJP-led government, the department concerned in the district has allegedly failed to mitigate the burning problem for years. Under such circumstances, Dhemaji AASU locked down the Dhemaji Divisional Office of the WRD by staging the protest.

While leading the stir, Dhemaji AASU president Dipak Sarmah came down heavily against the inefficiency on the part of the office concerned with regard to implementation of the government schemes in order to control the flood problem.

"The Dhemaji division of WRD has existed in name, not by work. In the office concerned, though there is one executive engineer, two assistant executive engineers and several junior engineers. They are unable to control the perennial flood problem of the district. Though crores of fund meant for the mitigation of the flood problem in the district has been sanctioned to the department, no scheme has come up effective in the past years. Under such circumstances, the existence of such an office is worthless," said the Dhemaji AASU president after locking down the office.

Notably, the consecutive waves of flash flood caused by Rver Jiadhol created massive havoc in the past four months. The river has inundated almost all villages under Chamarajan, Hatigarh, Batghoriya, Naruwathan and Ghuguha Gaon Panchayats penetrating through the 8-km stretch of the unplugged embankment of the river. Notably, this 8-km stretch of the embankment of the river has been unplugged for two years. On September 17, the overflowing water of the river affected the Moridhol, Lakhipothar, Baruah and Jamuguri areas creating massive havoc. The rolling water on NH-15 affected the road communication too that day.

Moreover, flood caused by the River Kumatiya washed away a 120-metre stretch of its left embankment at Rotwa area and breached the right embankment at Sapekhati. This embankment at Rotowa was constructed in 1976 and the Dhemaji WRD Divisional Office has not taken any step to reconstruct or strengthen it till day. Though the unplugged embankment at Adarsha Gaon near Rotowa was repaired by installing geo-tube in 2017, these geo-tubes, which are allegedly of low quality, have begun to tear. It was alleged that the Dhemaji Divisional WRD Office did not take any step to save the embankments at Rotowa and Sapekhati despite having prior information about the erosion of the embankments on September 17. In this connection, Dhemaji AASU demanded disciplinary action against two WRD engineers who are in charge of that section of the embankment.

By staging the protest programme, Dhemaji AASU slammed MLA Dr. Ranoj Kumar Pegu, alleging his failure to resolve the flood problem of the district. In this regard, Dipak Sarmah said that the MLA could not raise his voice strongly in the assembly to mitigate the burning problem.

"Because of his weak role, the MLA could not get fund sanctioned to construct the embankments of the district before the rainy season sets in. People of the district have to suffer as they are affected by consecutive waves of flood. The MLA could not take the Chief Minister to the 8-km stretch of the unplugged embankment of River Jiadhol though the Chief Minister visited the district twice in order to take stock of the flood situation. The BJP government has no goodwill to mitigate the flood problem but the party wants to promote politics by keeping the burning issues alive," Dipak Sarmah added.

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