Rs 1.75 Cr released for flood preparedness in three constituencies: Keshab Mahanta

Biswanath Chariali, May 26: Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Keshab Mahanta reviewed the early flood preparedness in Biswanath district at a high-level meeting held here.

During a press meet, after the meeting, the minister disclosed that Rs 1.75 crore has been released for early preparedness with floods in the three assembly constituencies namely Biswanath, Behali and Gohpur, respectively.

The meeting was attended by Sonitpur MP Ranjit Dutta, Biswanath, Behali and Gohpur MLAs Pramod Borthakur, Diganta Ghatowal and Utpal Borah, respectively. Principal Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management Department, GD Tripathi, District Commissioner Munindra Nath Ngatey, Superintendent of Police Subhashish Baruah and others also attended the meeting. The minister discussed the repairing works to the old dykes under the Water Resources department.

The minister also attended another meeting on Basundhara 3.0 in the presence of the officials of the district administration and the Revenue Circle officers under Biswanath district.

Minister Keshab Mahanta also held a meeting with the senior officials of Sonitpur district on Sunday. During the meeting, he emphasised the importance of preparing a detailed flood map of the district based on historical data, proximity to water bodies, embankments, and other indicators to mitigate the problem. He urged the stakeholders involved with the line including the Army, NDRF, SDRF, and Civil Defence to remain vigil.

All stake holders participating in the meeting shared their updates and action plans aimed at strengthening the disaster management framework.

Discussions were held on the proper awareness and implementation of SDRF norms, department-specific responsibilities, and training of emergency response teams. Measures for ensuring adequate fodder for livestock, promoting flood-resistant and late-sowing varieties of paddy through the Agriculture department, and advance communication of flood-prone areas to concerned departments were also discussed in the meeting.

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