Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: Assam Congress and the peasants group Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) demand a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into recent floods. Both organizations label the devastation as man-made. They point to illegal coal and stone mining along the borders of Meghalaya, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh. Pits from these operations overflow during heavy rain. They trigger massive flash floods in Upper Assam.
Former minister Nilamoni Sen Deka accused the state government of failing to use federal relief funds. He claimed the state lacked the necessary budget allocations to distribute the cash. Congress leaders demanded new legislation to classify flooding as a state problem to unlock funds. “At a time when people are suffering, the government has no money to spend because it did not allocate funds in the state budget,” Deka said.
The criticism extends to federal assistance levels. Assam received Rs 379.35 crore under the State Disaster Response Fund. Meanwhile, Odisha, Gujarat, and Maharashtra each secured Rs 500 crore. Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently approved an advance release of Rs 2,117.85 crore to aid monsoon-hit states. Congress and KMSS officials view the lower allocation for Assam as unfair.
Bedabrat Bora of the Congress alleged a Rs 3,000-crore syndicate controls the region. He claimed 40 to 60 illegal coal trucks enter daily from Nagaland. KMSS general secretary Bidyut Saikia echoed this, citing a Crime Branch chargesheet. He alleged extortion fees reach up to Rs 2 lakh per truck. They claim these networks involve politicians in Assam and Nagaland.
The Congress party submitted a 24-point demand list to Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. They want GST waivers on building materials and compensation for businesses. The KMSS demands Rs 8,000 per bigha for lost crops and free electricity. They threatened a statewide agitation if their demands remain ignored. The state government recently released interim relief to over 75,000 households across four districts. Flood waters are receding, but the death toll stands at 85.
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