Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: Raijor Dal MLA Akhil Gogoi wants Prime Minister Narendra Modi to label recent floods in Sivasagar, Charaideo, and Jorhat as a national disaster. He sent a 22-point charter of demands to the Prime Minister. The letter seeks 10 lakh rupees for every affected family and business. He claims the disaster threatens the region's cultural and civilisational heritage.
Gogoi pushed for a CBI probe into the July 19 floods. He alleges illegal coal mining near the Assam-Nagaland border and illicit sand and stone extraction along the Dikhow riverbed caused the catastrophe. He blames these activities on political patronage.
The legislator demands a 1,000-crore reconstruction package. He wants this money focused on the Sivasagar and Nazira Assembly constituencies. Beyond immediate cash, he wants the state to ensure the existing 15,000 rupee relief payment reaches every household, fixing errors that previously left victims out. "The floods had threatened not only lives and agricultural land but also Assam’s cultural and civilisational heritage, and therefore warranted declaration as a national disaster," Gogoi stated.
His list of demands covers a wide scope. He requested permanent housing and land for displaced families in Nepalikhuti village, plus housing aid for others across the three districts. He also wants irrigation support and quality seeds for farmers. For the youth and small business owners, he seeks compensation for losses in sectors including fisheries, tea, agarwood, piggery, poultry, duck and goat farming, plant nurseries, and local handloom and handicrafts.
Infrastructure upgrades are a priority. Gogoi wants higher river embankments, modern sluice gates, and drainage bridges on national highways. He specifically requested desiltation projects for the Dikhow, Darika, Janji, Mitong, and Namdang rivers. He also wants funding for damaged schools and religious buildings.
The MLA requested free books and uniforms for students across all school types. He also wants admission fees waived from primary to degree levels. Finally, he asked for mobile medical units to visit every flooded village every three days to stop disease outbreaks. Official counts place the death toll from the floods at 104 people.
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