"Centre failed to give Assam flood crisis the attention it deserved": AJP leader Lurinjyoti Gogoi

The Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) on Wednesday, August 5 accused the Central Government of failing to accord adequate priority to Assam's flood crisis and demanded an immediate revision of relief norms, alleging that the financial assistance announced for flood-affected families is inadequate in view of rising costs and the scale of devastation.

Addressing a press conference in Dibrugarh, AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi questioned the Centre's response to the flood situation in Upper Assam, asking why it took 20 days for a Union Minister to visit the state to assess the damage. He also criticised the Prime Minister's response to the crisis, alleging that there was a delay in publicly acknowledging the floods despite the severity of the situation.

Gogoi further questioned why the Prime Minister visits Assam for cultural events but does not visit the state during natural disasters. He said the Centre's response to the floods had failed to reflect the gravity of the crisis faced by the people of Assam.

The AJP president alleged that the floods in Upper Assam were not solely the result of natural causes but had been aggravated by extensive stone and coal mining, indiscriminate felling of trees and large-scale environmental degradation. He claimed that such activities, allegedly carried out under government patronage, had contributed significantly to the worsening flood situation in the region.

Comparing the financial assistance extended by the Centre to different states, Gogoi alleged that Odisha and Maharashtra had received ₹500 crore each despite not facing flood conditions, while Assam was sanctioned only ₹300 crore after severe flooding in Upper Assam. He claimed that the disparity reflected a discriminatory approach towards the state.

Gogoi also criticised the Union Home Minister, recalling his earlier assurance of making Assam flood-free, and alleged that the minister has remained silent during the present crisis.

The AJP president further took exception to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's recent remarks on the issue of closing stone quarries. He alleged that the state government had supported large-scale extraction of stone and coal through hill-cutting, which, according to him, had contributed to environmental degradation and intensified flooding in Upper Assam.

The party urged the Chief Minister to make public the actual causes behind the recurring floods in Upper Assam and disclose the factors responsible for the worsening situation at the earliest.

Gogoi also criticised the government's announcement of ₹15,000 as financial assistance for flood-affected families, arguing that the amount was insufficient for households that had lost their homes and belongings in the disaster.

According to the AJP, the compensation is being provided under the provisions of the 2015 flood relief manual. Gogoi said the guidelines have become outdated due to the sharp rise in the prices of essential commodities over the past decade.

The party demanded that the state government immediately convene a Cabinet meeting to revise the existing relief manual in line with present-day economic conditions, enhance compensation for flood victims, and ensure that affected families receive adequate financial assistance.