Over 17 lakh affected by Assam floods, Rajnath to visit on July 30

With at least 20 persons dead and over 17 lakh affected due to floods in 21 districts of Assam, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will visit the state on Saturday for a day to take stock of the situation.

The minister is expected to make an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas of Nagaon, Morigaon and Kaziranga in Assam.

He will also visit Bhagatgaon camp set up for the flood-affected residents in Morigaon district and meet Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and state government officials before returning to Delhi in the evening.

According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), over 17 lakh people have been affected by floods in 21 districts. Over one lakh people have been forced to abandon their houses and take refuge in relief camps.

Flood waters have inundated 3,374 Assam villages as well as crops standing on 2,13,251 hectares of land, an ASDMA official said. Over 20 people died in the floods across the state.

The Chief Minister made an aerial visit to his constituency, river island Majuli, on Thursday to supervise relief and rescue operations.

He took serious note of the unauthorised absence and negligence of officials, which led to breach of the Brahmaputra dyke and the resultant misery to the people and loss of property.

On his directive, the Water Resources Department suspended four officials on the charge of gross negligence of duty during the current floods in Majuli.

Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on Friday said the Railways will provide free wagons to the state government to transport essential commodities to the flood-affected districts of the state.

Talking to Sonowal on phone, Prabhu said the state government could make use of the abandoned railway tracks as 'platforms' for sheltering those displaced by the deluge.

--IANS

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