Tag: Assam CM

  • Nearly 21,000 affected by flood in Assam

    Nearly 21,000 affected by flood in Assam

    By PTI

    GUWAHATI:  Nearly 21,000 people have been affected by flood in Assam, an official bulletin said on Wednesday.

    According to the daily flood report of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), more than 20,900 people have been hit due to flooding in Dhemaji and Lakhimpur districts.

    Over 20,700 people are suffering in Lakhimpur while 160 people have been affected in Dhemaji, it said.

    Currently, 19 villages have been inundated and crops in over 13.5 hectares of land have been damaged, the bulletin said.

    However, in other districts including Lakhimpur, Biswanath, Darrang, Dhemaji, Dima Hasao, Dibrugarh and Golaghat districts, floodwaters have not entered houses but embankments, roads, bridges and other infrastructure have been damaged.

    The flood was caused after the northeastern state received heavy rainfall over the last few days. No river, however, is flowing above the danger mark as of now, the bulletin said.

    Meanwhile, the Guwahati-based Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) said that heavy rainfall is expected in the Northeast over the next five days.

    “Moisture incursion due to strong low-level southerly/southwesterly winds from the Bay of Bengal to Northeast India is very likely during the next five days.

    Under its influence, fairly widespread rainfall activity with heavy to very heavy with extremely heavy rainfall/thunderstorm with lightning is very likely to occur over the northeastern region during the next five days,” it said in a statement.

    For the next three days, the RMC issued an ‘orange alert’, followed by a ‘yellow alert’ for the subsequent two days.

    ‘Yellow alert’ stands for watch and be updated, while ‘orange alert’ implies to be prepared for action.

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    Assam: Union Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs Ashok Singhal visits Dhemaji district

    Assam: Union Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs Ashok Singhal visits Dhemaji district
    LAKHIMPUR: Ashok Singhal, Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs and Irrigation, visited Dhemaji district on Wednesday with a day-long programme. During the visit to the district, Singhal conducted field visit to the irrigation schemes being implemented in Dhemaji and Jonai sub divisions and took stock of their progress and present status.

    Singhal at first arrived in Jonai and went to Owen Ghat to study the potential of the irrigation projects at River Sile flowing across the Assam-Arunachal border area. Then he inspected the Menjak drain and Simen River and observed the prospect of irrigation projects there. He also visited the farm owned by Chitta Payeng, a progressive farmers under Demou village, and inspected the cultivation of sugarcane, done with the benefits of the irrigation system set up under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana.

    Then the Minister arrived in Dhemaji and held review meeting on irrigation schemes in the conference hall of the Dhemaji Deputy Commissioner’s office. The meeting was attended by Lakhimpur MP Pradan Baruah, Jonai MLA Bhuban Pegu, Irrigation Department Secretary Pavitra Ram Khaond along with high-level officers of the department, Deputy Commissioner Ankur Bhorali and Irrigation Department officers and engineers under Dhemaji district. They also accompanied the Minister during the conduct of the field visit to the irrigation schemes.

    While interacting with the media persons, Ashok Singhal said, “Effort on the part of the Government of Assam has been underway continuously in order to provide benefits of irrigation system to the farmers of the State. The irrigation Department has continued endeavours to implement new irrigation projects with adequate facilities to enhance the agriculture sector of the State. At present district irrigation project plan has been chalked out in view of preparing master plan for the upcoming 25 years.”

    During the visit to Jonai, Singhal inaugurated the Kulajan Model Anganwadi Centre, constructed by Women and Children Development Department with the investment of a fund of Rs. 25,000. He also laid the foundation stone for the construction of Kanduli Mathura-Kulajan connecting road under Mukhya Mantri Pakee Path Nirman Achoni with a fund amounting to Rs. 117.27 lakh, 2022-23 financial year and Kapahtoli Deury Gaon-Sripani Kundimama Mandir connecting road with the investment of a fund amounting to Rs. 66.89 lakh.

    Ashok Singhal also visited the Office of the Silapathar Municipal Board and took stock of the activities of the civic body concerned. He also held review meeting with the chairpersons, ward commissioners, officers and officials of the Dhemaji and Silapathar Municipal Boards. He instructed the officers and civic body representatives to build adequate systems for waste management, tax collection and resolution to other issues of the civic body areas.

  • ‘Rahul was in favor of disqualification..’: Assam CM

    ‘Rahul was in favor of disqualification..’: Assam CM

    Guwahati (IANS) | Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday criticized the Congress over the issue of disqualification of former Congress President Rahul Gandhi from the Lok Sabha after his conviction in a defamation case. Sarma said, “When the Manmohan Singh government tried to bring an ordinance to relieve MPs from disqualification after serving a jail term of two or more years, it was Rahul Gandhi who publicly tore the ordinance and pleaded disqualification immediately after conviction.”

    “Do you consider the former Wayanad MP as your leader or not,” Sarma asked Congress legislators in the state in the Assam Assembly.

    Sarma said in the assembly, “At that time Rahul Gandhi was in favor of immediate disqualification and also said that his party follows the same stand. But now, he is cursing either Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Who has no role in Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification.”

    Sarma also talked about the chain of events in 2013 that led to Rahul Gandhi tearing up the cabinet ordinance.

    He said: “In Lily Thomas v. Union of India, the Supreme Court held Section 8(4) of the Representation of the People Act to be outside the purview of the Constitution. Therefore, disqualification on conviction is automatic and immediate. Kapil Sibal, the then Law Minister in the UPA government had also filed a review petition at that time.”

    “However, after the review petition was dismissed, the UPA government brought the ordinance, which was publicly rejected by Rahul Gandhi,” Sarma said.

    He said, “The Congress party’s opposition to Rahul’s immediate disqualification is astonishing. As Rahul Gandhi in 2013 had ‘rejected’ his own government and said, a conviction for two years or more would result in disqualification. should be immediate, and there should be no interim relief.”

    The Assam chief minister further claimed that Rahul Gandhi’s remarks, which resulted in his conviction, were directed at the ‘whole community’.

    The Assam CM said, “Rahul Gandhi had several opportunities to repent and apologize during the court proceedings. The court ruled against him because he refused to apologise.”

    Sarma also lashed out at state Congress leaders for bringing a motion to discuss Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification in the state assembly.

    Sarma asked the Congress leaders, “Court judgments can go in favor of a person or even against him. But will you start a protest and demand an adjournment motion just because a certain judgment was against you?”

    He further said, if the court convicts me in any case, will BJP MLAs protest wearing black clothes tomorrow? No. We can appeal against this decision in the Sessions Court, High Court or Supreme Court, but we will never challenge the law.

    Sarma said that the habit of criticizing the judiciary is harmful for the country’s democracy.

    –IANS