Assam CM to Assess Flood Relief Efforts in Dibrugarh
Chief Minister's Visit to Flood-Affected Areas
File image of Assam CM visiting flood hit areas in Golaghat (Photo: @himantabiswa/X)
Guwahati, Aug 2: As Upper Assam shifts from immediate emergency measures to long-term recovery, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is set to visit Dibrugarh on Sunday. His itinerary includes touring the districts most severely impacted by flooding to evaluate relief operations and understand the current situation on the ground.
In a recent social media update, Sarma stated, "I will soon arrive in Dibrugarh and then proceed to the flood-affected regions to engage with the community, supervise ongoing relief initiatives, and establish a comprehensive assessment plan to ensure fair compensation for those impacted."
As of Sunday, the death toll related to the floods in Assam stands at 82, with no new fatalities reported in the last 24 hours. The number of individuals affected has decreased to 178,000, although the count of flood-impacted districts has risen to seven.
During a live social media session on Saturday, Sarma unveiled additional relief measures for those affected by the floods.
He announced that the government would waive electricity bills for July for domestic and Jeevan Dhara consumers using up to 300 units in the severely impacted districts of Sivasagar and Charaideo.
"For residents in Sivasagar and Charaideo, the Assam government has decided to waive domestic electricity bills for July for consumption up to 300 units. Payments will be sourced from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund," he explained.
Additionally, the Chief Minister declared a waiver of land revenue (khazana) for flood-affected individuals in these two districts for the current fiscal year.
Reiterating previous announcements regarding interim assistance, Sarma mentioned that Rs 15,000 would be distributed to affected families between August 3 and August 5.
Preliminary estimates indicate that approximately 55,000 families in Sivasagar, 20,000 in Charaideo, 7,000 in Jorhat, and nearly 3,000 in Golaghat have been identified for this one-time relief.
"Families needing further assistance to rebuild their lives and return home will receive an additional Rs 10,000 starting August 10, bringing the total support to Rs 25,000," he added, noting that this enhanced aid would also apply to families in Sivasagar and Charaideo.
The government plans to allocate Rs 2 lakh to flood-affected schools and between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 2.5 lakh for repairs and restoration of damaged Anganwadi centres.
Moreover, Rs 7.62 crore has been approved from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund to provide uniforms for students from pre-primary to Class VIII in Sivasagar, Charaideo, Golaghat, and Jorhat districts.
Sarma also mentioned that insurance companies have agreed to appoint nodal officers in each flood-affected district, establish 24/7 helplines and dedicated help desks, and process claims with minimal documentation, including self-certification and video evidence.
Life insurance claims for flood victims will be settled based on the government's official list of deceased individuals without the need for death certificates.
Additionally, the APSC Assistant Engineer examination has been postponed until further notice.
Meanwhile, the Opposition has raised concerns regarding disaster relief funding and its allocation by both the Centre and the Assam government.
APCC president Gaurav Gogoi cited official data, claiming that Assam received only Rs 205.31 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund, despite requesting Rs 8,393.98 crore from 2019 to 2024.
He further alleged that Rs 1,112 crore from the State Disaster Response Fund and Rs 342 crore from the State Disaster Mitigation Fund remained unutilized, arguing that the failure to use available resources has adversely affected flood-impacted communities.