Minister slams Assam for misleading people on flood

Shillong, Sept 22: Cabinet Minister Sosthenes Sohtun has criticised Assam for blaming Meghalaya for flood.

He added faulty drainage of National Highway projects and garbage-choked streams are flooding Jirang.

The Jirang MLA said floods occur even with light showers due to poor outlet planning.

“It may be minor or major but we have found that with the construction of national highways, especially the drainage, its outlet, we don’t see where it ends,” he said.

“Through dumping of waste there, through not cleaning the streams, it further adds to the flood even when there is only little rain,” he said.

The NHAI work does not allow water to flow properly in the channel, he added.

Regarding Assam alleging that hill cutting in Meghalaya, particularly around USTM, causes floods in Guwahati, Sohtun said, “The allegation of Assam when it comes to flood, there are many allegations from them.”

“Sometimes flood in main Guwahati they blame Meghalaya, sometimes beyond Sonapur also,” he said.

He said it is wrong to put all blame on Meghalaya when construction activity is happening on both sides.

“To build and blame everything only from our state, it is wrong because many times constructions that are going on are not only in the area of Meghalaya, in Assam also there are many constructions,” he said.

“Cities keep growing every month, all of those add to causing the streams to not be able to flow properly in the channel, the capacity that is there causing these streams to flood,” he said.