Situation in landslide-hit Dima Hasao district was “emergency-like” :Chief Secy  

Guwahati, May 17: Assam chief secretary Jishnu Barua today chaired an emergency meeting with officials from the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and took stock of the operations in the flood and landslides affected districts of Assam.

Representatives from the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Indian Army, NF Railway, NHAI, PWD (Roads), FCI and other stakeholders also attended the meeting with deputy commissioners of the affected districts participating in the meeting through video conference.

The chief secretary informed media that the situation in landslide-hit Dima Hasao district was “emergency-like” even as the situation in other districts of the state was not as alarming.

Assam State Disaster Management Authority will also use the services of drones and satellite data to ascertain the loss and damage data of the hill district.

He further said help from the Indian Air Force would be taken to distribute food supplies to the district headquarters of Haflong from Wednesday while a large number of stranded people in Hojai district have been evacuated by the Indian Army.

Reports said the meeting focused mainly on evacuation of stranded people besides restoration of rail and road networks through Dima Hasao district which has faced severe rain-triggered landslides. 

Restoration of supplies of essential commodities to Barak Valley, where three districts, Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj have been affected by floods and landslides, also figured in the meeting.

Over four lakh people in 26 districts in Assam have been affected in the past 24 hours with the road and rail network, along with other communication channels, in the hill district of Dima Hasao district completely cut off due to landslides. 

Eighty-nine relief camps and relief distribution centres have been opened in all the affected areas with a total of 39558 inmates staying in these relief camps.

Eight human lives – three in floods and five in landslides- have been lost so far.