Relief Not Enough, Flood-Affected People Need Rehabilitation: Biswajit Daimary

Guwahati, July 13, 2019:

With the floods in Assam has already affected more than 14 lakh people, with many of them being rendered homeless and without livelihoods, all eyes are on the Government for a solution to the plight of these people. Assam’s Rajya Sabha MP and firebrand Bodo People’s Front (BPF) politician Biswajit Daimary, who has long maintained that the flood problem in Assam should be declared as a ‘national issue’, might just have the solution.

Speaking to Inside Northeast, MP Biswajit Daimary lamented that although the entire state is in the grip of floods, the Chirang and Baksa districts in the BTAD area have been worst affected after the Aie, Pagladiya, and Puthimari rivers flowed above the ‘danger level’. In fact, the situation is so bad in Chirang, that army personnel has had to join the rescue efforts.

Daimary has stated that the problem of floods is not a temporary one. “Many houses have been completely submerged, as the sand from the river gets deposited in the houses, which makes them unlivable. Agricultural lands also get their fair share of river sand, which makes them un-cultivable. Their entire life’s hard work is washed away, which is indeed very sad”, Daimary laments.

The MP believes that simply providing them with relief is not enough and the Government must go a step further. “Those people whose houses and livelihood has been destroyed, must be rehabilitated as well. School, homes, etc which they have lost, must be arranged for them so that they can continue living their lives in these areas despite the tragedy of floods. Otherwise, they will never be able to stand back up on their feet”, Daimary cautions.

Biswajit Daimary believes that to truly feel the woes of the people who have lost everything to floods, the concerned authorities must visit the flood-hit areas themselves and also take measures to ensure that these people are brought back up on their feet and are able to go about their business as usual.

“The Assam state authorities, as well as Ministers, should send the records of how much money is needed to rehabilitate these unfortunate people to the Central Government. In the past, we have not been able to provide rehabilitation because no figures were presented to the Government, and as a result, they did not provide adequate funds. This time, we must not make the same mistake”, he said.

Daimary is of the opinion that the authorities and even Ministers must reach those flood-affected areas to get a first-hand experience and send the evidence of the misfortune these people are facing in their lives and their hardships directly to the Central Government.

“I have talked to Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the Parliament and he has said the report along with requirement must be sent to the Home Ministry so that adequate measures are taken and he can send help to the State to fix the problem faced by the citizens who have been uprooted due to floods”, the MP says.

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