Eknath Shinde camp donates in CM relief fund amid Assam floods, Himanta Sarma expresses gratitude

Amid the ongoing flood situation in Assam, the Eknath Shinde camp which has been living in a Guwahati hotel for over a week, donated Rs 51 lakh to the CM relief fund to extend help to the affected population. Following the move by the Shinde camp, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed his gratitude to the donors and said that it will "go a long way" in reaching out to the flood victims.

"Shiv Sena MLAs and allies have decided to contribute Rs 51 lakhs to the Assam CM's relief fund to help the flood-affected people," Eknath Shinde tweeted. Responding to the donation by the rebel MLAs, Sarma tweeted, "Heartfelt gratitude to Hon'ble Shiv Sena MLAs led by @mieknathshinde ji for contributing Rs 51 lakh to CM Relief Fund. The contribution shall go a long way in reaching out to the flood victims and ensuring relief in flood-affected areas of our State."

Meanwhile, the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Tuesday airlifted a total of 517 tons of relief material over the past six days, informed the officials. "Relief Operations by IAF continue unabated day and night. Over the past six days, a total of 517 Tons of relief material has been airlifted across various flood-affected regions of Assam and Meghalaya," tweeted the IAF.

Earlier, the Indian Airforce deployed seven types of fixed and rotary-wing aircraft in various flood-affected areas, informed the officials on Sunday. The IAF deployed these aircraft with the aim to transport 77 tonnes of relief material.

The overall flood situation in Assam has improved but over 33.03 lakh people in 28 districts continue to remain affected due to the natural calamity in the state, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) informed on Saturday. According to ASDMA, a total of 117 people have lost their lives so far in the flood and landslides in the state this year; of which 100 people died in flood alone, while the remaining 17 died due to landslides.

As per the reports, at least 10 people, including four children died after drowning in the flood water in the last 24 hours. The report also stated that 8.76 lakh people have been affected in Barpeta district alone, followed by 5.08 lakh people in Nagaon, 4.01 lakh in Kamrup, 2.76 lakh people in Cachar, 2.16 in Karimganj, 1.84 lakh in Dhubri, and 1.70 lakh people have been affected in the Darrang district of Assam.

Notably, 3,510 villages under 93 revenue circles of the state and nearly 91,700 hectares of cropland is still reeling under the flood water. 2,65,788 people affected by flood water are still lodged in 717 relief camps set up by the administration of 22 districts in the state, ASDMA reported.

Two drones have been deployed in Silchar of Cachar district for carrying out the flood inundation mapping as well as to provide the relief materials in the inaccessible areas. Nearly 1.42 lakh people of 155 villages under the Raha revenue circle have been affected by the current wave of floods.