Assam seeks Rs 500 crore from Centre as interim flood relief

The Assam government on Monday sought an interim relief of Rs 500 crore for relief, rehabilitation and repair works in flood-affected areas across the state, which has claimed at least 13 lives so far.

“We will seek Rs 500 crore as an interim relief from the Centre. Many areas are still under water, so the final assessment of damages will take some time,” Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said.

The state government has adequate funds for carrying out immediate relief operations, but Central assistance would be required to carry out repair works of the damaged infrastructure, he said. Gogoi, however, lamented that the Centre has not released the amount that the state had sought after floods last year.

Talking about the current situation, he said rains have stopped in many places and water level was slowly receding.

“As soon as the water level recedes, we will start assessing the damages caused to roads, embankments, bridges and other vital infrastructure,” the CM said.

The floods have affected 18 districts with the worst-hit being Dhubri, Goalpara, Chirang, Kokrajhar and Bongaigaon. Around 6.16 <g data-gr-id="21">lakh</g> people across 1,291 villages are suffering and 260 relief camps have been set so far. Around 1.79 <g data-gr-id="18">lakh</g> people are taking shelter in them.