Sivasagar MLA and Raijor Dal chief Akhil Gogoi on Saturday defended his criticism of Cabinet minister Bimal Borah and Sivasagar Deputy Commissioner Mridul Yadav, alleging serious shortcomings in the state government’s flood preparedness, rescue and relief operations.
Addressing a press conference in Guwahati, Gogoi said 17 of the 27 panchayats in his constituency were completely devastated by the floods, while the remaining 10 suffered at least 50 per cent damage. He claimed that damage in the worst-affected panchayats ranged between 80 and 100 per cent.
Gogoi said six of the constituency’s 14 urban wards were also affected, with flooding reaching up to 95 per cent in some areas. He claimed that nearly 80 per cent of the 51,949 families in his constituency were affected.
Questioning the state’s disaster-response capacity, Gogoi said Assam had only around 650 SDRF personnel for a population of about 3.5 crore. He also claimed that although he sought 40 rescue boats, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told him only 18 to 20 boats were available across the state.
Gogoi alleged that the government failed to provide timely warnings and adequate rescue and relief support, claiming local residents rescued nearly 90 per cent of those affected in his constituency.
He also criticised Water Resources Minister and Demow MLA Susanta Borgohain, Sonari MLA Dhormeswar Konwar and Nazira MLA Mayur Borgohain over the flood situation, saying they had not responded to his allegations.
Gogoi said the scale of the flooding justified his criticism of the minister and district administration and argued that the crisis had exposed shortcomings in Assam’s disaster preparedness.
