Sentinel Digital Desk: Guwahati: Thursday,
23 July 2020.
RTI has exposed that Assam
got no fund on flood management head from the Centre from 2014 to 2018, barring
the State's share of the SDRF (State Disaster Response Fund). The RTI has
further revealed that Assam got Rs 288.60 crore in 2014-15, Rs 414 crore in
2015-16, Rs 434.70 crore in 2016-17 and Rs 456 crore in 2017-18.
The APCC (Assam Pradesh
Congress Committee) has held the State and the Central governments responsible
for the current devastating floods in Assam. The Opposition party has said that
Dispur has failed to get central aid for floods in the State for a number of
financial years.
Addressing the media at Rajiv
Bhawan here on Wednesday, APCC president Ripun Bora said, "In 2014 the
then State government sought Rs 9,370 crore from the Prime Minister. However,
not a single penny was released. In 2015 the then State government sought an
additional Rs 2,100 crore from the Centre. There was no release of funds from
the Centre. In 2016, the State government sought Rs 5,038 crore from the
Centre. The State didn't get a single penny.
"In 2017, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi visited Assam on August 1 to assess the flood damage in the
State. Here in Assam he announced a few flood packages for Assam and the
Northeast Rs 2,350 crore for floods in the Northeast, an instant release of Rs
250 crore for Assam floods, Rs 400 crore for fighting erosion by the Brahmaputra
and Rs 100 crore for the study of the course of the Brahmaputra. However, even
today the Centre hasn't released the promised funds, nor has the State
government been able to put the right pressure on the Centre for release. A
central expert team came to the State in 2017 and put the damage by floods in
Assam to Rs 4,000 crore. However, the State government opted not to seek any
additional funds.
"An RTI has exposed that
Assam got no fund on flood management head from the Centre from 2014 to 2018,
barring the State's share of the SDRF (State Disaster Response Fund). The RTI
has further revealed that Assam got Rs 288.60 crore in 2014-15, Rs 414 crore in
2015-16, Rs 434.70 crore in 2016-17 and Rs 456 crore in 2017-18.
"According to the
Disaster Management Act, in the event of SDRF funds not being enough to fight
floods, the NDRF (National Disaster Response Fund) should pump in funds.
However, the State has not got any such funds from the NDRF from
2014-2018."
Bora further said that the
Centre released SDRF funds less than the amounts fixed by the 14th and 15th
Finance Commissions. "The BJP did promise in its 2014 Lok Sabha poll
manifesto and in its vision documents in 2016 Assembly election that it would
take measures to control floods in Assam. However, after coming to power the
party did nothing. The government promised to dredge the Brahmaputra, but
failed to do it. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari did promise to construct an
express highway on either side of the Brahmaputra in 2016, but has not done it,"
he said.
On the reason behind the
floods being so devastating in the State this year, Bora said, "As many as
101 schemes were approved in 2020-21 under the SDRF head. However, only two of
the schemes have been implemented by the State Water Resource department.
Likewise, not a single of the 42 NABARD schemes meant for controlling floods
have been implemented in the State. This part, not a single of the 188 breaches
of embankments in the State last year has been repaired by the department. The
Chief Minister said that 450 weak embankments in the State would be renovated
by April 30, 2020. However, on the pretext of COVID-19, not a single embankment
could be renovated," he said.
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