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As Assam continued to grapple with severe flooding, BJP leaders on Tuesday said relief efforts were being intensified, while cautioning that the death toll could rise as restoration and recovery operations progress.
BJP MLA Chakradhar Gogoi said it was too early to ascertain the final death toll as recovery operations were still underway. "The casualty count could rise further because the restoration work is not yet complete; there is a massive accumulation of mud and silt everywhere. It is impossible to determine the exact death toll until the recovery operations conclude. Regardless of the number, whether one or a hundred, we are deeply saddened," Gogoi said. State Cabinet Minister Rameswar Teli said the government was moving swiftly to get aid to affected areas, with support also pouring in from other quarters. "We have received information regarding these 68 deaths, and the government is dispatching all forms of aid to the area; additionally, various organisations and political parties are sending their own assistance. As the Labour Welfare Minister, I am monitoring the situation, specifically regarding the tea gardens, as around 27 of them were affected by the floods," he told ANI. BJP MLA Himangshu Shekhar Baishya described this year's floods as unlike anything the state had witnessed, particularly in districts that are not traditionally flood-prone. "The flood situation in Assam this time is extremely severe and unusual. The government was not prepared for this because the heavy rainfall created an unprecedented scenario in flood-affected areas, particularly in the Sivasagar and Jorhat districts. Previously, severe flooding was typically observed in districts like Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Dibrugarh, and Biswanath; however, we had never witnessed such a flood situation in these specific areas before," he told ANI. Baishya said the government has mobilised departments to respond to the crisis, alongside efforts from his own party. "The government is making every effort to assist the affected people; all departments have been put on high alert and are working with full dedication to help the public. From the BJP's side, our party leaders are organising the distribution of flood relief materials worth Rs 12 to Rs 15 crore," he said. These remarks come as Assam continues to battle a severe flood crisis that has swept through Upper Assam. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday announced that post-mortem examinations for flood victims would be waived off, saying the government's response to the ongoing crisis must be driven by compassion rather than bureaucracy, as the state continues to grapple with floods. "During a crisis, our response must be guided by compassion, not bureaucracy. I have directed that post-mortems be waived off for flood victims to spare families further anguish. Ex-gratia assistance will be released at the earliest, with no avoidable procedural delays," the CM said on X. According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), more than 4.45 lakh people across six districts remain affected by floods. As many as 631 villages are inundated, while 184 relief camps and distribution centres are sheltering nearly 28,700 people. (ANI)
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