Rajnath Singh inquires about Assam floods

Guwahati, Sep 24: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday called up Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to take stock of the prevailing flood situation in the state which has claimed 30 lives in the past three days and affected nearly four lakh people.

Gogoi told the union minister that the flood situation in the state was 'grim and critical' though there has been a slight improvement following let-up in rains during the past 24 hours, a CMO spokesman said.

He apprised Singh about the various measures initiated by the state government to rescue the marooned in the severely flood-affected districts of Goalpara, Dhubri, Kamrup(Rural), Kamrup (Metro) along with other districts with the assistance of NDRF, SDRF, army and paramilitary forces.

He told Singh that several people have been evacuated and efforts are on to rescue those who are still marooned and that relief operations are being carried out by the district administration and relief camps have been set up for the affected people, the spokesman said.

Gogoi requested the Home Minister to raise the amount of ex-gratia to the next of kin of those who died or sustained injuries in the flood, enhance central assistance for damaged houses and cropped land.

Singh in his turn assured the chief minister of all central help and assistance and asked him to submit a proposal in this regard, the spokesman added.

PTI