Urgent need to tackle floods, erosion, Gogoi tells Uma Bharti

Guwahati, Feb 11 (IANS) Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has urged Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti to expedite the constitution of the Brahmaputra River Valley Authority and to delegate more powers to it to tackle the problems of flood and erosion in the state.

A statement issued Wednesday by the Chief Ministers' Office here said Gogoi told Bharti the Brahmaputra Board has not been able to tackle the problems effectively.

"The functioning of the Brahmaputra Board is not at all satisfactory and the centre must accord priority towards the setting up of the Brahmaputra River Valley Authority which has been a long standing demand of the state government," he said.

He said the problem of erosion was more serious than floods and Assam's economy that hinges on agriculture would be adversely affected if erosion continues.

He urged the union minister to sanction the flood management schemes submitted by the state government and fund them in the 90:10 ratio.

He also urged her to clear the Rs.1,500 crore World Bank funded Assam Flood and Erosion Management Modernisation Project.

Gogoi also requested Bharti for inclusion of erosion as a natural calamity under the national disaster response fund.

The chief minister urged the union minister for measures to protect the river island of Majuli from the fury of the Brahmaputra and push through the proposal submitted by the state government for getting the coveted Unesco World Heritage tag for Majuli.