The Assam government has restored traffic on the Kaziranga national highway for light vehicles as the flood situation improved in the state. As on Monday, over five lakh people are still affected by the floods.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said traffic has been restored in the Kaziranga section of the national highway for light vehicles as the flood situation has improved. However, heavy vehicles are being allowed to move only in convoys. “In view of the improvement in the overall flood situation, from today, light motor vehicles and buses will be allowed to move through the Kaziranga section of the national highway normally, subject to speed restrictions. However, trucks will be allowed to move only in a convoy,” Sarma tweeted.
Sarma on Monday said power supply has been reinstated in Upper Assam as power transmission through the grid station in Mariani has been restored.
According to Assam State Disaster Management Authority, as on Monday, over five lakh in 17 districts are still reeling under deluge. As many as 24,782 persons have been sheltered in 104 relief camps across the state and the floods have claimed 96 lives.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah telephoned Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to enquire about the situation, reiterating assurance of all help from the Centre, and Sarma also received a call from his Odisha counterpart offering the use of the eastern state's disaster management system to mitigate the challenges.
Sarma, in a post on X on Monday, said he briefed the Union Home Minister about the flood situation, while also thanking the Centre for continued cooperation. Shah reiterated "augmenting all possible assistance from the Government of India to help the state deal with the situation", the CM said.
Odisha CM Mohan Majhi also enquired about the situation over the phone from Sarma and offered the capabilities of his state's disaster management system to help mitigate the challenges posed by the floods. "On behalf of the people of Assam, I have conveyed our heartfelt gratitude for his concern. We agreed to remain in touch in case we require any such assistance," the Assam CM posted on X.
Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the national capital on Monday and apprised him of the flood situation. The prime minister said that the Centre is with the state government to deal with the situation and empower the state in mitigating the impact of the flood.
Modi also assured the governor of his support and assistance in helping the state government in carrying out the rehabilitation work, the source added. They said over 5,11,000 people remained affected by floods in Cachar, Kamrup, Dhubri, Morigaon, Golaghat, Dibrugarh, Goalpara, Karimganj, Sivsagar, Dhemaji, Nalbari, Darrang, Kamrup Metropolitan, Biswanath, Jorhat and Majuli.
Cachar remained the worst hit with over 1.08 lakh people reeling under the deluge, followed by Dhubri with 81,000 affected population and Nagaon with more than 76,000.
Some of the major rivers continued to flow over the danger level, including the Brahmaputra at Nematighat, Tezpur and Dhubri. The Burhidihing was also above the red mark at Khowang and Disang at Nanglamuraghat.