CM reviews COVID-19 situation, flood preparedness, landslide occurrence of Hailakandi district

June 4: Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal reviewed the COVID-19 situation, flood preparedness and landslide incident with Deputy Commissioner and senior officials of district administration in Silchar on Thursday. The Chief Minister, who was scheduled to arrive in Hailakandi and Karimganj districts by chopper had to call off the official programmes owing to inclement weather. The meetings with the district administrations of Hailakandi and Karimganj took place in Silchar.

Reviewing the COVID-19 situation with Deputy Commissioner, Megh Nidhi Dahal, senior officials of the administration and district heads of concerned departments at Deputy Commissioner’s conference hall, Chief Minister Sonowal asked them to gird up their loins in view of rising COVID-19 positive cases, flood situation and landslides due to incessant rainfall. Taking stock of the situation following landslides in Hailakandi district on Monday, the Chief Minister asked the administration to chalk out a comprehensive action plan to deal with any exigency.

The Chief Minister provided ex gratia of Rs four lakh each to the next of kin of four landslide victims. Sonowal said the government has constituted district level landslide warning and response teams with expert members under the Deputy Commissioners to avoid recurrence of casualties due to disasters. The Chief Minister asked the administration to ensure round the clock surveillance on every potential development which may affect the novel coronavirus situation. Sonowal also underscored the need to put in place a mechanism to make essentials available to the public and to keep a sharp watch on the unscrupulous traders so that there is ‘no hoarding and artificial scarcity of essential items’.

Considering the looming threat of COVID-19, Sonowal said, “The golden rule to prevent the contagious virus from spreading is to follow ‘social distancing’ and ‘avoid all kinds of social gathering’. The Chief Minister asked the administration to make optimal use of men and machinery to generate awareness among the public on the dos and donts of COVID-19 to keep the virus under check.

Sonowal asked the people not to be worried about the increase in COVID-19 cases. In the same breathe, the Chief Minister urged the people to religiously follow the health advisories to keep novel coronavirus away. “Though there is a rise in COVID-19 positive cases, there is no need to panic as the health department is fully geared up to tackle the situation and all patients are being nursed and taken care of,” he added. Sonowal appreciated the people of the state in fighting COVID-19 pandemic with their exemplary mental strength, courage, resilience and level of awareness. The Chief Minister exhorted all the officials and public representative to rise to the call of duty in extending best of services to the people as motto of the government.

Earlier, Deputy Commissioner, Dahal apprised the Chief Minister through power point presentation about the slew of steps taken by the administration to deal with COVID-19 situation, flood and other disasters. MLA Algapur, Nizamuddin Choudhury expressed his satisfaction over the host of initiatives taken by the present government during the unprecedented times and the proper implementation of the pro poor schemes by the district administration.

Minister for Environment and Forest, Parimal Suklabaidya, District Development Commissioner, Vikram Deb Sharma, Additional Deputy Commissioner cum CEO, DDMA, RK Dam, Superintendent of Police, Pabindra Kumar Nath, Joint Director, Health Services, Dr. RC Dwivedy, Inspector of Schools, Rajiv Kumar Jha and other heads of concerned departments were present at the meeting.