Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, March 9 – Revenue Minister Dr Bhumidhar Barman today admitted in the State Assembly that erosion has become a far more dangerous problem than floods and the efforts made so far to deal with the problem failed to yield the desired results.In reply to a question by Phani Bhushan Choudhury (AGP), the Minister said that the State Government has already taken up the issue with the Centre seeking Central help to deal with the problem of erosion. He said that dredging of the bed of the river Brahmaputra might be one of the solutions to the problem.
Dr Barman said that so far 720303 bighas of land of 15 districts of the State has been eroded. During the period from 1971 to 2009, the total area of Majuli river island was reduced by 272183 bighas because of erosion.
Several members of the State Assembly demanded that the Government should seek a special Central Package for the rehabilitation of the erosion -affected people as giving a small plot of land to them would not serve any purpose.
