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Rs 20 cr down the drain; no respite

At a time when massive water logging wreaks havoc in Guwahati even after a heavy downpour, GMDA and water resources department take centrestage following the revelations that Rs 20 crore was spent during the last five years in the name of desiltation and excavation of the rivers flowing across the city. But no result is in sight.

According to information available with Assam Times, the heavily manned departments spent Rs 78.37 lakh in 2009-2010 to desilt the river Basistha apart from linking the river to Mora Bharalu spending Rs 69.29 lakh.

Again in 2011-12, another amount of Rs 44.95 lakh was spent to desilt the river. But of no avail. But not even an area in the city got respite from waterlogging.

What is more striking is stunning is that a huge amount of Rs 1.20 crore was spent in 2011 -12only in the name of a cleanliness drive in the river Bahini which is no less responsible for massive waterlogging in Guwahati.

The same river required Rs 1.41 cr to be desilted deploying men and machines in 2013-14.

Not only that. GMDA and water resources department spent Rs 16.15 crore in 2009-10 in the name of excavation and desiltation of rivers from Motoria to Bonda through Silasaku. But there is hardly any positive result.

Hardly any respite is in sight despite this huge expenditure. Waterlogging has been a regular feature these days.

With this, it has become clear that a huge amount of money ti the tune of Rs 20 crore has gone down the drain in the name of excavation, desiltation and cleaning the rivers Bharalu, Bahini, Basistha, Silsaku, Borsola and Sarusola during the last 5 years.

Assam Times will leave before you more sensational revelations how over Rs 10 crore was spent only in the name of desiltation and excavation of the Bharalu river during this period.

Will chief minister Tarun Gogoi, who is committed to end the waterlogging chapter even by evicting hundreds of people in the largest ever drive in the city, look into it?   

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