Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday to raise with Beijing the reported construction of dams on Brahmaputra by China. "It is learnt that China is constructing some dams on the Brahmaputra river in the portion flowing through Tibet. This has created many apprehensions in the minds of the people.
"We urge that the matter be taken up with the Government of China to ensure that the flow of water in the river Brahmaputra is not altered in any manner detrimental to Assam," Gogoi said in a memorandum submitted to Modi who concluded his two-day visit to Assam today.
The memorandum also cited the perennial flood problem of Assam and sought Central assistance in dealing with it. "There is a requirement of Rs 6,700 crore for strengthening of embankments and other protection measures, which will help us cope better with recurring floods in the long term. It is worth mentioning in this connection that all the embankments constructed immediately after great earthquake of 1950 have outlived their design life and need immediate strengthening," it added.
Gogoi also urged the Prime Minister for inclusion of erosion in the list of disasters under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). Regarding security and law and order issue, the state government put forward a number of suggestions like having specialised equipment and infrastructure for riverine battalion and police stations, upgrading the police training school in Assam to an academy and modernisation of the force.
The Chief Minister also urged Modi for inclusion of Guwahati, Golaghat, Silchar, Jorhat, Tezpur, Tinsukia, Barpeta and Bongaigaon in the 'Smart City' scheme so that its benefits are available to these cities.
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