The Hindu : Flood control schemes yet to be cleared, says Gogoi

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jul 17, 2003

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Other States - Assam

Flood control schemes yet to be cleared, says Gogoi

By Barun Das Gupta

GUWAHATI July 16. The Assam Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi, today refuted the allegation that the State had not submitted any flood control schemes to the Centre and claimed that the boot was on the other leg.

(The allegation was made by the Union Minister of State for Water Resources, Vijaya Chakrabarty, but Mr. Gogoi avoided naming her.)

Mr. Gogoi said 52 flood control schemes submitted by the State were hanging fire in Delhi. Of these, 37 were new while 15 had been pending since the Ninth Plan. The implementation of these schemes would cost Rs. 283 crores.If the Centre had cleared the schemes for repair of bridges and embankments in time, the impact of the floods and the consequent hardship to the people this year would have been much less, he said.He recalled the promise "Prime Minister Vajpayee personally made to me" in August 1998, that Rs. 500 crores would be spent on flood control in Assam during the Ninth Plan. "Not a paisa has come," he added.

Mr. Gogoi said that while no Minister from the Centre had so far had the time or the inclination to see the plight of the people of Assam, the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, was expected to visit the flood-affected areas later this week or early next week.

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Flood control schemes yet to be cleared, says Gogoi