HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, June 11: With the onset of monsoon and the possibility of floods across the state, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday directed the government machinery to be ready to meet any flood-related eventuality.
Monsoon arrived in the northeast, including Assam, on Saturday and the state has been experiencing rainfall over the past couple of days.In a video conference with deputy commissioners (DCs) and other senior officials, Sarma said all government departments, including NHAI, NHIDC, NDRF and SDRF, should remain alert to reach out to the affected people during the natural calamity.
The chief minister asked the Principal Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management, Gyanendra Dev Tripathi, to take steps for pre-positioning of NDRF and SDRF personnel in vulnerable districts, especially in Dima Hasao. He also asked the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) to activate an early warning system to warn people about potential threats of flood.
In the event of flood water submerging low-lying areas, Sarma asked the DCs to set up relief camps and streamline relief distribution in these centres. He asked the deputy commissioners to visit the embankments breached during floods in 2022 and take precautionary measures.
The chief minister further directed the DCs to assess the available stock of food materials and fodder in their respective districts. Referring to the damage caused to an embankment in Cachar district last year which caused a catastrophic flood in Silchar town and its adjoining areas, Sarma asked the DCs to keep vigil and, if required, ensure area domination to avert unscrupulous elements from causing
harm to embankments. The CM also reviewed the preparedness of medical teams, including the
availability of medicine stock, to meet any emergency. He asked the DC, Kamrup Metropolitan, to have constant surveillance on 382 landslide-prone areas of the district and take remedial steps in case of heavy and incessant rain.
He also asked GMC commissioner Megha Nidhi Dahal to clean drains across the city on a regular basis to avert siltation or garbage causing any blockage on the movement of water. The Chief Minister also
took stock of the working condition of the water suction pumps deployed in several areas of the city.
He also asked the DCs to make the geo bags available in adequate numbers in the vulnerable areas. He also asked the DCs to assess available stock of food materials and the availability of buffer stock and fodder stock in their respective districts.
While taking stock of the availability of doctors and medicines to address any medical issues in flood affected areas, the chief minister asked the DCs to hold meetings and prepare a contingency plan for their respective districts. Moreover, he also asked the DCs to keep doctors and nurses in the relief camps to attend to any medical emergency of the camp inmates.
The chief minister during the conference asked all the DCs to fill up the holes which are dug up for construction purposes on priority basis.
Sarma also asked PWD, NHAI, NHIDCL to see the road conditions in flood prone and landslide prone areas especially along the stretch of the roads which lead to Hill districts and Barak Valley districts and take the contingency measures. He said that the State government is available on a 24X7 basis to address the issues and concerns of the citizens.
