Flood-hit Assam celebrated India’s 71st Independence Day on Tuesday with large participation of people in many places even as schoolkids and teachers saluted the Tricolour and sung the national anthem riding on boats and standing atop the roof of school buildings in many areas of the State.
Schoolchildren and teachers in some of the flood-hit areas of Morigaon, Barpeta, Dhubri, Nagaon etc. districts came to the school on boats to take part in the Independence Day celebrations along with their teachers while some others stood in the knee deep water to salute the Tricolour and sang the national anthem. Several photographs of children and teachers hoisting the Tricolor in flooded areas have also gone viral on social media since morning.
While Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal unfurled the Tricolour at the Veterinary College ground at Khanapara area in Guwahati, his other Cabinet colleagues and top officials also hoisted the national flag at different venues of the celebrations across the State.
The celebrations assume signifincane as terrorist outfits of the Northeastern States including anti-talk faction of the Ulfa, the Garo National liberation Army (GNlA) and Manipur based CorCom have given the boycott call of the celebrations.
As many as 25 districts of the State have been under flood waters for the last few days. Over 33 lakh people have been affected. According to official records ten people have died due to flood related incidents in last 24 hours taking the death of the second wave of floods to 30 so far. Besides this human causality, 84 people have lost their lives in the first wave of floods that have hit the 29 districts of the State between April to June this year and affected millions of people.
The Chief Minister reiterating the Government’s commitment to ensuring equal development of all the tribes and communities of the State and said that the Government had taken up several steps to ensure development of all across the State.
Focusing the zero tolerance policy of the Government against corruption, Sonowal said that the Government after taking charge last year had initiated a massive drive against corruption which has led to transparence in functioning of the Government machinery.
The Chief Minister also reiterated their commitment to implementing the Assam Accord in its letter and spirit and added the Government is equally sincere in sealing the Indo-Bangladesh border to stop infiltration from Bangladesh. “Steps have been taken to update the National Register of Citizens (NRC) so that we can detect and deport the illegal foreigners living in the state,” he said adding that efforts are also on to seal the Indo-Bangladesh border to stop infiltration from the other side of the border.
Referring to the devastating floods in Assam, Sonowal said that the Government has been trying to help the marooned people in each of the flood hit areas. “We have instructed the district administration to make avail the exgratisa payments to the next keen of flood victims within 48 hours time,” he said.