Gogoi reviews relief and rehabilitation efforts in Assam camps

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today reviewed the current situation in the state and ordered immediate steps for providing relief to people staying at the camps set up after the serial attacks by NDFB(S) and retaliatory violence. Nearly 93,000 persons belonging to Adivasi and Bodo communities in Kokrajhar, Chirang, Sonitpur and Udalguri districts have taken shelter in 78 relief camps. [caption id=“attachment_2017479” align=“alignnone” width=“380”]  Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. PTI[/caption] According to an official release, Gogoi rushed four senior bureaucrats to Kokrajhar, Chirang, Sonitpur and Udalguri districts to oversee relief and rehabilitation operations. During a meeting, he reviewed the situation with the Director General of Police, chief secretary and other senior officials of the state. Gogoi asked the officials to ensure food items for the inmates at the relief camps and also provide baby food. Besides, blankets and drinking water would also be provided immediately, the release said. The chief minister asked to start rehabilitation of the people after positioning 50 companies of security forces, which were sent by the Centre, at the affected places. He said police outposts would be created and adequate number of personnel would be posted at those places to prevent any such violence in the future. Gogoi also instructed to hold a meeting of the Unified Command to discuss the latest situation, the release added. Meanwhile, an Assam Police spokesperson said a number of houses of Adivasis and Bodo people were burnt by miscreants from both the communities this evening in Kokrajhar, but no casualty has been reported yet. The official said 121 houses have been set ablaze in Sonitpur since 23 December, while assessment of burnt homes were being done in other districts. In Kokrajhar district, about 40,000 inmates were living in 36 relief camps, in Chirang over 35,000 inmates in 28 camps, in Sonitpur nearly 10,000 people were in nine relief camps and over 8,100 people are staying in five camps at Udalguri. Meanwhile, the Army was carrying out intensive area domination of the violence affected areas of Assam where 81 people have been killed in attacks by NDFB(S), retaliatory violence and police firing since Tuesday. PTI