Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi Thursday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to release Rs 1,000 crore as immediate relief to flood-hit Assam, where at least 37 people have died so far.
Earlier in the day, Gogoi had complained that the Centre’s response to the Assam floods was not as prompt as it was in the case of Jammu & Kashmir.
While asking for the Rs 1,000 as immediate aid, Gogoi said the state government would only be able to make an exact assessment of the damage caused by the floods after the water receded. While flood water in some areas has started to recede, the overall situation is grim in Goalpara, Dhubri, Kamrup and Kamrup (Metro) districts.
The chief minister’s letter to Modi also details the loss of life, damage to roads, bridges, houses and agricultural land in the floods. Gogoi also informed the Prime minister about the steps initiated by the state government to rescue marooned people and to provide relief to those affected.
Meanwhile, five bodies were recovered in the state on Thursday – three in Goalpara, one in Kamrup and one in Guwahati city. The body recovered by Army personnel in Guwahati belongs to one of the three people who were killed in a landslide on Monday.
Earlier, on the sidelines of a function at his official residence, the Assam CM had taken a potshot at Modi for not inquiring about the flood in the state. "My experience is that Prime Ministers call up in times of such natural calamities…even the home minister had called up only yesterday (Wednesday)," Gogoi said
"I am not complaining against anybody. But they should have shown the same seriousness as was shown in the case of Jammu and Kashmir," Gogoi added.