GUWAHATI
Assam and Meghalaya have decided to form a joint committee to look into the allegation that a private university was causing floods in Guwahati by flattening hills on the border between the two States.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma accused the University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya (USTM) of waging a ‘flood jihad’ when much of Guwahati was inundated on August 5 after torrential rains. The university is on a low hill in Meghalaya’s Ri-Bhoi district bordering the southern edge of Guwahati.
On Thursday, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma told journalists in Shillong that the two States had agreed to form a “small committee” to address the concerns raised by the Assam government.
“I had a conversation with the Assam Chief Minister recently and we decided to form a joint committee with officials from both States to look into the concerns raised by Assam and others,” he said.
“The committee would be formed within a week to resolve most of the issues,” he added.
Lashing out at the USTM after the August 5 ‘urban flood’, Mr. Sarma said the university flattened four to five hills on its campus to build new structures. This caused artificial floods in Guwahati and adjoining areas, he claimed.
“Rainwater used to enter Guwahati slowly earlier. The flow became faster since the USTM was established,” he said.
Mahbubul Hoque, an entrepreneur from southern Assam’s Barak Valley, is the founder-chancellor of the USTM, which was established in 2011.
Published - September 05, 2024 09:24 pm IST
