Union minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday met farmers in Arunachal Pradesh where floods have caused heavy damage to crops and assured them of all help from the Centre and the state government.
Rijiju, along with a central team, visited the deluge- affected Aalo area in West Siang district and assessed the situation
The minister of state for home met the farmers who lost their standing crops, houses and family members, and listened to their grievances
“I assure you all possible help from the state as well as from the Centre. Due to very bad weather, sometimes it becomes difficult to visit each and every area to assess the damage but the government has been monitoring the situation very closely and no one would be left behind,” he said.
Rijiju also spoke to senior officials of the district management and took stock of their preparedness.
He asked authorities to expedite the distribution of medicines to the villagers as there was a looming threat of a malaria outbreak.
Farmers, who had gathered in large numbers, personally briefed the minister about the entire situation and sought relief.
“I want to assure the farmers that they would be compensated by the government for their damaged crops. The Centre as well as the state government is looking into the loss,” he said.
He said that he had asked the administration to prepare a detailed report of the damage so that further assistance could be provided
“The Centre released funds for the state government day before yesterday. The state government is also working round the clock with authorities to restore roads, connectivity and essential supplies as landslides and rains have caused heavy damage. I am personally visiting the farmers so that the ground situation can be assessed,” he said.
Rijiju assured the villagers that , the government was with them in this difficult tme as he oversaw relief operations in affected areas in the entire region.
The state government has been assessing the extent of damage and loss to farmers after weeks of heavy rains caused landslides which left a trail of destruction in the state.
Floods and landslides triggered by incessant rain last week have completely cut off many district headquarters in the state from the rest of the country, officials said.
The state capital was virtually cut off with its lifeline NH 415 getting washed away at the entry point, while the alternate road via Jullang remained blocked leaving only one road open through Hollongi en route Lakhimpur district in Assam, they said.
Major rivers in the state are still flowing above the danger level while surface communication was disrupted at many places along the NH—415 that links Assam with Arunachal Pradesh, officials said.
Officials said 15 granaries and several houses have been inundated by waters of Yomgo river while a poultry farm was also badly affected.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also spoken to Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu over phone and assured all possible support from the Centre
Rijiju was accompanied by Vikram Singh Gaur, Joint Secretary (Niti Aayog); L Ravi Joseph, IG, NDRF; Ravinder Singh, Consultant (Landslide & Avalanche), NDMA; and Gopi Chandra Chhawaniya, Director, MHA.
