AASU calls for international help on Majuli

Guwahati, Jun 30: The All Assam Students Union(AASU) today declared the Brahmaputra Board 'defunct' and called for international help to protect the biggest river island Majuli from the annual flood.

The AASU, as per the resolution of the last tripartite talk involving Union and Asom governments, met the Brahmaputra Board yesterday to take stock of its work in the past 27 years. This afternoon the AASU in a press conference announced their findings.

''The Board is not only incapable of handling the flood but after meeting the entire top brass and observing their actions, we are convinced that this organisation is completely defunct,'' said AASU adviser Samujjal Kumar Bhattachhrya.

''We met them as per the suggestion of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and unless the Board officials do visit Majuli in seven days to monitor physical progress of the work to protect Majuli, we will start an agitation against them,'' said Dr Bhattachhrya.

The AASU team was informed by the Board top brass that a comprehensive master plan was submitted seeking Rs 288 crores. But the Ministry sanctioned the project for Rs 86 crores and of that, only Rs 20 crores were spent so far by the Board official.

''In the name of protecting Majuli, colossal amount of money was siphoned off by a big network of the contractors and some departmental officers,'' said Dr Bhattacharrya.

Majuli is the world's biggest river island with an area of around 400 square kilometre housing about 1,25,000 people who live in near primitive condition to maintain their life because of continuous erosion.

''What the Board had done for the protection was laughable! Majuli has become the milking cow for the Brahmaputra Board and their sole aim is to siphon off the money for so many years,'' he said.

''In yesterday's meeting we found that indiscipline had gripped the entire Board and nobody was sure what the other wing of the organisation was doing. In fact they do not even have a model study. The only way left is to close down the organisation, absorb the staff to the ministry and engage foreign consultants and companies to tame the river,'' said AASU President Sankar Prasad Ray.

''It is sad that tax payer's money was being wasted by an organisation which in its 28 years of existence only prepared a master plan, which was also never allowed to be implemented. Even today, there is no fixed Chairman and the incumbent is living on 90 days' extension cycle,'' he said.

The AASU also demanded that boulder spar should be constructed instead of porcupine ones which had been washed away by floods. ''We told them that they cannot issue contract during the rainy season.

This loot must be stopped,'' Dr Bhattacharyya said adding that Board officials were themselves not sure what measures should be taken to stop the erosion of this island, half of which have already been eroded by the mighty river.

UNI