Aiyar for effective mechanism to control flood

Shillong, Jun 18 (UNI) Union Minister of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Mani Shankar Aiyar has asked the governments in the North Eastern states to develop an effective mechanism to combat floods in their respective states.

"Floods singularly cause immense devastation in the northeast destroying infrastructure worth crores of rupees. This aspect has to be seriously looked into to control flood,'' Mr Aiyar told reporters here.

At least 11 persons have been reported dead due to flush floods in Upper Assam. Floodwaters had washed away a portion of the NH-52, which works as the lifeline for the people of Lakhimpur and Dhemaji districts of the state as well as the neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh, five kms short of North Lakhimpur town near Ganesh Mandir on June 15.

Expressing concern with the present measures to control flood was ineffective in the region, the Union Minister said, a separate summit on flood control would be held soon.

"We (UPA government) are willing to assist the northeast in this regard, but before that a model must be in place to work on it,'' he said.

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