CM Himanta: Assam flood rehabilitation may cost over Rs 1,000 crore

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday, Aug 12 said at least Rs 1,000 crore will be required for repair of properties and rehabilitation of flood-affected people in districts ravaged by the latest wave of the deluge.

Addressing a press conference here, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured full assistance in the rehabilitation process.

"To give permanent relief, a rapid relief assessment drive was launched on August 9. As per an initial report, over 8,000 families have been assessed and Rs 150 crore in damage has been estimated," Sarma said.

The survey will continue till August 30 and is expected to cover 50,000-60,000 families in the Upper Assam districts hit hard by the latest floods, he added.

"I believe there will be spending of over Rs 1,000 crore in damage repair and rehabilitation. The PM has assured that there is no issue in paying the affected families, and asked us to do the assessment without any lapse," Sarma said.

Acknowledging support from various groups in providing relief to the affected people, he said 72 YouTubers have raised funds for this purpose across the country. "Many of them are already working on the ground and giving relief to the people. We are keeping a close watch on them, on whether they are spending the money for flood-affected areas," he added.

Sarma released Rs 11.3 crore to rebuild 494 flood-damaged Anganwadi centres across Upper Assam. "We want to restart these centres as soon as possible so that all services can be provided. Altogether, 494 Anganwadi centres which were damaged will be rebuilt in this drive," he said, adding that each centre will receive up to Rs 2.5 lakh to restore these vital community spaces.