Meghalaya CM seeks central assistance to tackle flood

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has sought assistance from the Centre as floods in West Garo Hills district and parts of Khasi Hills region have affected 1.3 lakh people in the state, officials said on Wednesday.

The chief minister, his deputy Prestone Tynsong and Tourism Minister Metbah Lyngdoh met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday night and appealed to him for assistance, an official in the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said.

State Home Minister James Pangsang Kongkal Sangma, along with Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Kyrmen Shylla and MLAs of Phulbari, Rajabala, Selsella and Tikrikilla constituencies, toured the flooded region in West Garo Hills district on Tuesday.

The state home minister met the affected people and reviewed the rescue work.

A total of 159 villages with an estimated population of 1.30 lakh people have been affected by the unprecedented floods in the area this year, Deputy Commissioner of West Garo Hills Ram Singh said.

Twenty relief camps have been set up by the district administration.

The deputy commissioner said 52 boats have been pressed into service and gratuitous relief is being given to the flood-affected people for one week.

Incessant rains across Meghalaya for the last 10 days and rising waters of two rivers flooded the plains of West Garo Hills district.

Rising waters of the Brahmaputra and the Jinjiram rivers, both flowing from Assam, submerged the low-lying areas of the district, an official said, adding the water level has yet not receded.

While visiting Phulbari, the state home minister met the flood-affected people at the inspection bungalow and reviewed the ongoing relief work.

He, accompanied by a delegation, also toured the flood areas on a boat and took stock of the damage caused by the overflowing Brahmaputra and Jinjiram rivers.

West Garo Hills was affected because of heavy rains in the neighbouring states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh in the past few days.