Why is Central government Depriving Assam Government?

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: It is a matter of concern that for the last few years, the Assam government has not been getting any additional fund from the Central government to meet the huge expenses incurred during the annual floods across the State. The State government’s assessment of the flood-related damages in current fiscal (2019-20) amounts to Rs 3,305.67 crore. This is despite the fact that Central teams have been visiting the State, and also carrying out inspections of the damages here.

This year as well, a seven-member Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) under the leadership of Brig Ajay Gangwar, Advisor (Operations), National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), toured the State in the post-flood phase. The IMCT team visited the severely flood-affected nine districts of Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Jorhat, Lakhimpur, Morigaon, and Nalbari.

It hardly needs mention that every monsoon season, the surging water of the Brahmaputra and its tributaries have been causing large-scale erosion as well as causing damages to public and private infrastructure including property, roads, bridges, and culverts among others. Many people as well as livestock lose their lives in these floods.

Official data (from May 3 to September 2, 2019) indicate that in the 2019 floods, a total of 97 people lost their lives (including landslides and flash flood). Overall, 73.04 lakh people of 6,337 villages in 143 Revenue Circles spread across 33 districts were affected. A total of 28,152 huts got damaged; 12,625 houses were fully damaged; and 1, 45,016 houses were partially damaged. Altogether 16,636 cattle sheds were also damaged; while 250 animals (milch and drought animals) and 1,556 poultry got washed away. Total relief camps set up were 12,625; and 1,242 relief distribution camps were established.

The State government has also submitted to the IMCT the ‘interim flood report’. Some of the major infrastructure damages have been: Roads affected (2,723); damaged culverts (932); health institutes damaged (627); roads breached (621); damaged approaches to bridges (437); damaged ‘Piped Water Supply System’ or PWSS (384); washed away culverts (47); damaged support bridges (53); and breached embankments (37).

The amount requirement against 21 departments or sectors has also been indicated. Some of the major departments/sectors and their requirement (in descending order) to meet the flood-related damage control are as follows: Water Resources Department (Rs 1,912.19 crore); PWD-roads and bridges (Rs 677.42 crore); Housing (Rs 205.93 crore); GR, ex-gratia and others (Rs 126.08 crore); Health & Family Welfare (Rs 62.70 crore); Power Department (Rs 61.07 crore); Agriculture assistance (Rs 50.94 crore).

Of course, Assam has been regularly receiving the mandatory 90 per cent SDRF (State Disaster Relief Fund) share from the Central government. The SDRF follows the 90:10 proportion with the State governments concerned having to bear 10 per cent of the fund while the Central government bears 90 per cent of the SDRF. This fiscal as well, the Central government has already released 50 per cent of its share of SDRF amounting to Rs 251.55 crore to Assam government. Its pending share of an equal amount is, however, pending.

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