Assam floods: CM Sarbananda Sonowal asks districts to speed up rescue operations

Dhubri: Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday visited flood affected areas in Dhubri and Chirang districts and directed the district administration to accelerate relief and rescue operations. [caption id=“attachment_2924200” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] A man carries an aged woman in flood-hit Assam. PTI[/caption] The Chief Minister visited a relief camp set up at Pratap Chandra Higher Secondary School at Gauripur and took stock of the medical, drinking water and other ancillary facilities being given to the people lodged there. Asking the administration to take special care of all kinds of medical emergencies and the health of the infants, children and elderly people in the relief camps, Sonowal directed the medical department to keep an eye to tackle the outbreak of any epidemic. He also directed the veterinary and animal husbandry department to supply fodder stock in adequate quantity. The Chief Minister convened a review meeting with the Deputy Commissioner (DC) and other line departments and took stock of the relief and rescue operations pressed in to help the marooned people. Since the current wave of flood compelled several people to take shelter in the relief camps, Sonowal asked the administration to provide them with adequate relief materials and even dispatch relief materials to the houses of those who were not rendered homeless but have suffered in the deluge. He has asked the DC to keep vigil on embankments and other vulnerable areas likely to inflict more damages, besides the district administration to undertake repair work on the dykes if there is any breach and ensure security at the relief camps round the clock. In his second lap of tour on Friday, Sonowal held another review meeting with the district administration of Bongaigaon and Chirang and took stock of the measures. Sonowal asked the DCs to provide all facilities including sanitary and security to the camp inmates and emphasised that from the next year monitoring and supervision of embankments will be undertaken well ahead of the onset of monsoon. After the review meeting, the chief minister visited Dooma village under Sidli revenue circle and inspected the breach on the embankment of the Aie river which displaced nearly 40 families. Sonowal directed the Water Resources Department and district administration to repair the breach on a war footing and take steps to redress the erosion. Pointing out any kind of breach poses danger to public sector Bogaigaon Refinery Petrochemicals Ltd and other areas, he stressed the need for a permanent solution to the problem. Sonowal also visited a relief camp at Subaijhar Higher Secondary School and interacted with people taking refuge there.