It has been close to three months since floods ravaged several districts in Assam rendering thousands of people without homes. And yet, the state government has not released flood relief funds.
The BJP government in the state,which does not want the anger in flood-hit areas to simmer any further, haddecided to divert funds to 11 departments.
The BJP-led Assam government hassanctioned Rs 521 crore for immediate restoration for flood-hit areas in thestate.
In August, Finance MinisterHimanta Biswa Sarma said in the assembly that Rs 521 crore in the total of Rs7580.51 crore of supplementary demands for grants for this financial year hasbeen allotted for flood damage repair works.
He said Rs 200 crore is beingallotted to the Water Resources Department (WRD), while another Rs 300 crorewill be made available by the year-end.
As per reports, the stategovernment had prepared a detailed estimate totaling Rs 513 crore to take upflood relief and rehabilitation measures in the state.
It addition to this, Assam is yet to get the second installment (grants-in-aid) towards the central share of SDRF for 2019-20. Earlier, the central government had approved a sum of Rs 251 cr. as the first installment to State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).