Assam: The severe floods have left this northeast state of India crippled with road and rail connectivity cut off in region, leaving the region’s nearly two lakh people in a state of despair.
Around 2 lakh people in 20 districts of Assam have been affected by floods, with the hill district of Dima Hasao getting cut off from the rest of the state after landslides triggered by incessant rain snapped rail and road links, an official bulletin said on Monday.
Two flood-related deaths were reported in Cachar district, while three fatalities due to landslides were earlier recorded in Dima Hasao.
Around 1,97,248 people have been affected by the deluge, with Hojai and Cachar being the worst hit with 78,157 and 51,357 people affected population respectively, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) bulletin said.
Altogether 652 villages in 46 revenue circles in 20 districts have been affected so far, it said.
Around 55 relief camps have been opened in seven districts, sheltering 32,959 people. Another 12 relief distribution centres are also operational in different affected districts.
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Fire and Emergency Services, besides locals, have been carrying out rescue operations in the flood-hit areas.
Embankments have been breached at 16 locations in different districts in the last 24 hours.
Roads, bridges and houses have been completed or partially damaged in several areas.
Communication channels have also been snapped in Dima Hasao.
"Due to landslides, the district cannot be approached from outside. All roads and railways leading to Haflong is blocked since May 15," the bulletin said.
A Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) release in Guwahati said evacuation of about 2,800 passengers of two trains, which were stranded along the Lumding-
Badarpur section in Dima Hasao for the last two days due to landslides and waterlogging on tracks, was completed on Monday.
Many passengers were airlifted by the Indian Air Force even as incessant rain impeded rescue operations which were underway since Saturday, it said.
"Having rescued and evacuated all the passengers, the Railways is now putting its efforts in restoring the damaged line and re-starting the train services to South Assam, Manipur, Tripura and Mizoram," it said.
The New Haflong Railway Station is completely inundated with debris and an empty passenger train standing at the station has been washed off from the tracks due to a massive landslide, it said.
Around 18 trains have been cancelled and more than 10 short-terminated as work for restoration of the damaged railway tracks are underway despite the rain.
Centre assures help to flood ravaged Assam
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said Centre government wille xtend all possible help to the flood-hit northeastern state of Assam.
Evacuation of trains completed, more than 57000 hit
The evacuation of about 2800 passengers of two trains, which were stranded in Lumding-Badarpur hill section in Assam for two days due to massive landslides and waterlogging on the tracks caused by incessant rains, was completed on Monday with help by the Air Force and other agencies, a Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) spokesperson said.
Many passengers were airlifted by the Air Force as incessant rain impeded rescue operations which were on since Saturday, when the two trains were stranded in Lumding section of NFR in Dima Hasao district, he said.
An official bulletin said three persons have been killed in the mudlslide in Haflong revenue circle and 57,119 people have been hit by the floods in seven districts of Assam on Monday as incessant rains continued to lash most parts of the state.
The bulletin said 4,330 of the affected people have been lodged in 20 relief camps set up by the government. Nine relief distribution centres are operating in different affected districts.
A total 10,321 hectares of crop land have been inundated in the current spate of floods, it said.
The NFR spokesman said in Guwahati that about 18 trains in the section have been cancelled in the affected area since Saturday and more than 10 others have been short terminated as work for restoration of the damaged railway tracks are on in full swing despite the incessant rain, he said.
A report from Haflong, headquarter of Dima Hasao district, said most part of the New Halflong Railway Station is under water and an empty train stranded there has derailed as the track loosened with the soil underneath was washed off by rain waters.
Road links to the district have also snapped due to the incessant rains and the the landslides in multiple locations.
Class 11 exams suspended in Assam
The Higher Secondary first year (class 11) examinations in Assam starting from Wednesday have been suspended partially due to floods and extensive damage caused by heavy rains in the last few days.
The Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSCE), which conducts the exams, in a notification issued on Tuesday informed all the heads of the institutions under it that the Higher Secondary first year examinations to be held till Saturday are suspended until further order.
The exams that were scheduled to be completed on June 1 have been suspended due to "prevailing inclement weather and in view of damages being caused by the natural calamities in the state".
However, in the worst-hit Dima Hasao district, all examinations till June 1 are suspended until further order due to disruption of surface communication, AHSCE Controller of Examinations Pankaj Borthakur said in the notification.
Around two lakh people in 20 districts of Assam have been affected by floods, with the hill district of Dima Hasao getting cut off from the rest of the state after landslides triggered by incessant rain snapped rail and road links, an official bulletin had said on Monday.
Surface links to Assam's Barak Valley and Dima Hasao district and neighbouring states of Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur remained snapped on Tuesday.
(With PTI inputs)