[Assam] Dhemaji still cut off, 40, 000 affected (The Assam Tribune, 23.07.2007)

Sun Jul 22 21:33:02 PDT 2007

              Dhemaji still cut off, 40,000 affected
By A Staff Reporter
 GUWAHATI, July 22  Flood-ravaged Dhemaji district remained cut off from the rest of the State for the tenth day today and the district administration is keeping its fingers crossed as two other embankments of Jiadhol river are in bad shape. Though the district has not yet faced shortage of essential foodstuff, there is every possibility of shortage of petroleum products in a day or two.

Official sources in Dhemaji said that more than 40,000 people of around 75 villages of the district have been affected and the houses of more than a thousand families have been completely washed away as the Kumotia river has changed its course and rehabilitation of those families is turning out to be a major problem.

Sources pointed out that the district was cut off from the rest of the State on July 12 as flash floods resulted in breaching of the embankments of Kumotia river in two places and the National Highway 52 was washed away in the Samarajan area in between Lakhimpur and Dhemaji. The Border Roads Organization (BRO) is also not in a position to repair the Highway till the breaches of the embankment are plugged.

There is of course an alternative road from Gogamukh to Dhemaji, which is maintained by the PWD but that road was also cut off as a wooden bridge at Tengagarh was washed away. The Army has constructed a Bailey bridge following the initiative taken by the Governor, Lt Gen (Retd) Ajai Singh. The bridge, which has the capacity of taking a load of 18 tonnes, was completed this morning, but it will be difficult to carry essential items to Dhemaji through the road as it has as many as seven wooden bridges, some of which are in bad shape. However, fortunately, the Food Corporation of India kept a stock of 60,000 quintals of rice in its godowns in Dhemaji, which ensured that the district has not yet faced shortage of essential food items.

Sources said that rehabilitation of the families whose houses were completely washed out would turn into a major problem. The Kumotia river has changed its course and the houses of more than a thousand families were completely washed out, forcing the people to take shelter on highways, railway tracks and other higher places. The administration gave a proposal to those people to rehabilitate them in other areas of the district, but they are not too keen on the proposal and they cannot be rehabilitated in their own villages as the river is flowing right through those. Moreover, the rehabilitation grant given under the relief manual of the State government is not adequate for construction of new houses. 

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi yesterday made an aerial survey of the flood affected Dhemaji district and the district administration requested him to amend the relief manual to increase the rehabilitation grant so that new houses could be constructed for those whose houses were completely washed away.

Two other embankments of Jiadhol river at Dehri chapori and Hololdonga are in bad shape and if any breach occurs in those, even the Dhemaji town will be inundated, sources apprehended. Interestingly, the State Government is still not aware of the reason for the flash floods, which once again highlighted the need for close coordination between the neighbouring States in dealing with floods.

Sources said that there is no shortage of medicines and the storekeeper of Dhemaji civil hospital has been placed under suspension on charges of creating artificial scarcity of medicines, while, one doctor was served with a show-cause notice for treating patients in a pharmacy during duty hours.
(The Assam Tribune,23.07.2007)             

---------------------------------
 5, 50, 500, 5000. Store N number of mails in your inbox. Click here.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.assamnet.org/pipermail/assam-assamnet.org/attachments/20070723/90b2321c/attachment.htm>