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GUWAHATI : Assam’s flood situation remained critical on Thursday with over 6.43 lakh people affected in 10 districts, while incessant rains threatened to aggravate the situation as several major rivers are already in spate, according to an official report. Union Home Minister Amit Shah called up Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to enquire about the situation, and said an inter-ministerial central team will visit the state within a day or two to assess the extent of damage in the deluge which left at least 41 people dead. Sarma said that 70 to 80 more people have been missing, and the toll is likely to increase. With waters from NEEPCO’s Doyang hydel power project in Nagaland being released following increasing water levels there, the government machinery in Assam is bracing up for a further rise in flood levels late on Thursday. The issue of devastation caused by the floods was raised in the Assembly for the second day, which saw Raijor Dal MLA Akhil Gogoi being suspended from the House for the day after he climbed atop his desk while protesting the Speaker’s rejection of his adjournment motion seeking a discussion on the flood situation. An Assam State Disaster Management (ASDMA) report said that 35 revenue circles and 889 villages in the 10 districts of Charaideo, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Hojai, Jorhat, Kamrup, Kamrup Metro, Karbi Anglong, Nagaon and Sivasagar continued to be affected. More than 6,43,350 people are reeling under the deluge on Thursday. Over 6.53 lakh people had been affected by the floods in 11 districts on July 22. The report said that 99 relief camps are operational, sheltering 24,596 people. A crop area of 24891.66 hectares also remained submerged. Major rivers flowing above the danger level are Buridihing at Khowang (Dibrugarh), Dikhou at Sivasagar, Disang at Nganglamuraghat (Sivasagar), Dhansiri at Numaligarh (Golaghat) and Kushiyara at Sribhumi. Multiple agencies, including the Army, Air Force, NDRF and SDRF, continued to carry out rescue and relief operations, evacuating stranded people and providing essential items in the water-logged areas. The chief minister, who was on a tour of the worst-hit eastern districts, said that the Union Home minister dialled him to enquire about the situation. “I received a call from Hon’ble Home Minister Shri @AmitShah ji. In view of the unprecedented flood situation in Assam, he informed me that an Inter-Ministerial Central Team will soon visit the state to assess the extent of the damage, and help determine the Central assistance required for rebuilding livelihoods,” Sarma said in a post on X. He expressed gratitude to Shah for standing by the people of Assam during this difficult time. “The flash floods, triggered by a cloudburst upstream, have wreaked havoc on the lives of our people,” the CM added. Later, speaking to reporters after inspecting a relief camp at Komarbondha in Golaghat district, Sarma said Shah informed him that a central team with officials drawn from all stakeholder ministries will come to the state “today or tomorrow”. He said the flood-affected people were facing a host of problems, with crop land submerged, important documents destroyed and poultry washed away. “The people are in a difficult situation, and the government will try to help them in all possible ways,” Sarma said. In another media interaction, Sarma expressed apprehension that 70 to 80 more people are missing and the death toll is likely to increase. He said water from a NEEPCO power project in Nagaland is being released due to rising levels, and precautions are being ensured in the downstream areas of Assam. He maintained that the release of water in a controlled manner from a reservoir in normal times does not create a major problem. The unprecedented flooding happened earlier this week due to water gushing down following a cloudburst in the neighbouring state, the CM added. “We have to live with the geography where waters from Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya create problems for us. As development happens in the hills, with more roads, industries, hill cutting, our problems have increased,” he said. In another post on X, the chief minister said, “cloudbursts upstream, coupled with localised heavy rainfall, 436 per cent above normal, have led to flooding in villages that have not seen such devastation in recent history”. Sarma said that the state government was working closely with various departments and the Centre to prepare a comprehensive long-term rehabilitation package for every affected family. “Last but not the least, once the immediate crisis subsides, we will begin a structured dialogue with neighbouring states to establish a stronger coordination mechanism that can better protect our people from the impact of upstream cloudbursts and similar calamities in the future,” he said. In the state Assembly, Gogoi raised the flood issue and sought time from Speaker Ranjeet Kumar Dass to allow him to speak on the scale of devastation in three eastern districts, requesting an adjournment motion to discuss the matter. The Speaker rejected the adjournment motion and said that a similar one was brought in by Congress on Wednesday, which was also rejected. On this, the opposition MLA started shouting and begged Dass to allow him to speak for two minutes. When Dass proceeded with the next item of business, Gogoi stood on his chair and continued raising slogans. As the Speaker ignored him, the MLA climbed on his desk and continued shouting. The Speaker immediately suspended the Raijor Dal president and asked the Marshals to take him out of the House, who had to lift the MLA out. (Source: PTI)    

KOHIMA : Assam’s Karbi Anglong and Nagaland’s Dimapur district administrations on Thursday reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining peace along the inter-state border through closer coordination, regular communication and joint confidence-building measures, an official said. A coordination meeting between the two district administrations was held at the Circuit House in Dimapur, attended by Karbi Anglong Deputy Commissioner Aranyak Saikia, senior civil officials, the Superintendent of Police and their counterparts from Dimapur, the official said. The meeting focused on strengthening coordination between the district administrations and police forces of both states to ensure that any emerging issues along the border are addressed promptly and peacefully. Officials from both sides noted that the longstanding cooperation between the Assam and Nagaland administrations, supported by timely intervention from the police, has helped prevent the escalation of border-related incidents and ensured the safety of residents in the affected areas. During the meeting, Assam revenue officials presented the historical and administrative background of the disputed areas, citing district boundary notifications, revenue records and census documents. They maintained that the villages concerned have long formed part of Assam’s notified administrative jurisdiction and have been included in electoral rolls and census operations for several decades. Despite their differing positions on the boundary issue, both sides agreed that maintaining peace on the ground remains the immediate priority. They stressed the importance of regular meetings, people-to-people engagement and mutual trust to prevent misunderstandings and resolve local issues before they escalate. As part of confidence-building measures, the meeting proposed the formation of a joint border monitoring committee comprising district officials, police personnel and representatives of border villages. The proposed committee would monitor developments, coordinate responses to incidents and facilitate dialogue between communities while maintaining the existing status quo until the boundary dispute is resolved by the competent authorities. The two administrations also agreed that visits to sensitive border locations should, as far as practicable, be conducted jointly by officials and police personnel from both states to promote transparency and avoid misunderstandings. The meeting concluded with both sides reiterating their commitment to sustained dialogue, coordinated action and continued cooperation to preserve peace and harmony along the Assam-Nagaland border. (Source: PTI)    

GUWAHATI : Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi on Thursday alleged that there was a “severe delay” in delivery of emergency rations, drinking water and other essential items to flood-affected people of the state. He urged the state government to provide an “honest account” of how many people have died in the deluge, while also ensuring that relief reaches all. “Assam is facing an epic humanitarian crisis. As of today, 41 people have lost their lives, many are missing. Thousands of people are without any homes and lakhs of people are living without dignity,” Gogoi said in a post on X. The Congress’ deputy leader in Lok Sabha said that during his visit to the worst-hit districts of Jorhat, Sivasagar and Charaideo over the past few days, he “witnessed the scale of damage and lack of support from the local administration first hand”. “There is a severe delay in delivering emergency rations, safe drinking water, phenyl, clothes and bleaching powder,” the Jorhat MP alleged. He requested the central government to send a delegation of technical experts along with the necessary equipment to help people rebuild their homes, and reclaim their daily agricultural activities. “The state government must immediately provide an honest account of how many people have lost their lives and ensure that relief reaches every affected home without further delay,” he said. Gogoi also lauded the “numerous groups of young people and Gen Z who have organised relief and are feeding hundreds of families on a daily basis”, and appealed to party workers and office bearers to provide all forms of assistance to villages and families in upper Assam. (Source: PTI)    

AIZAWL : The Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) on Thursday urged Chief Minister Lalduhoma to convene a special session of the state Assembly to pass a resolution opposing the Foreign Contribution Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2026. In a memorandum submitted to the chief minister, Congress said that the proposed bill was “detrimental” to Christians and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and called for urgent steps to ensure Mizoram formally records its opposition. The Congress demanded that the state government place a resolution against the bill before the Assembly and ensure its passage through a specially convened session. Apart from seeking a special Assembly session, the opposition party also urged the chief minister to take the initiative in arranging a meeting of church leaders, NGO representatives and leaders of all political parties with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to press for withdrawal of the bill. The party further called on two MPs from the state to strongly oppose the legislation when it is introduced in Parliament and to vote against it during the voting process. The memorandum, signed by Congress president Lal Thanzara, also emphasised that the issue was of “utmost importance” and sought prompt action from the state government. Speaking to reporters after submitting the memorandum, senior Congress leader and former MLA John Siamkunga claimed that the proposed amendments to the FCRA could adversely affect Christians and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Mizoram. He alleged that changes made to the FCRA under the BJP-led government had already created difficulties for NGOs and Christian organisations in receiving financial assistance from abroad. He claimed that churches and NGOs in Mizoram were among those most affected by the amendments. The MPCC said the protection of Mizoram’s land, people, and faith remained one of its core priorities and stressed the need for all churches, NGOs, and political parties to unite against what it described as “harmful” legislation. The party further expressed surprise that the Mizoram government had remained silent on the issue despite churches in the state having held prayer meetings concerning the bill. (Source: PTI)    

GUWAHATI : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday asserted that protecting students’ interests was of paramount importance for the Centre and that PM Narendra Modi’s instruction to set up fast-track courts to punish those involved in the NEET paper leak was a testimony of it. He maintained that no person who puts the future of the youth at stake will be spared. “The interests and future of the youth of the country are the topmost priority of the double engine government. To ensure that the culprits in the NEET paper leak case are swiftly brought to justice, Fast Track Courts will be established for the expeditious disposal of the cases,” Sarma said in a post on X. Amid continuing protests by the youth over the NEET paper leak, the prime minister said that the government has decided to set up fast-track courts to ensure swift and stringent punishment for those involved in paper leaks. Sharing Modi’s message on social media over the issue, the CM said, “The Honourable Prime Minister has issued directives to the concerned departments to ensure that necessary measures are taken in this regard.” “This is among the important steps taken by the government to protect the interests of students. No one who wants to play with the future of the youth will be spared,” he added. The prime minister’s outreach to the youth came three days after thousands of students led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) took part in the ‘Sansad Chalo’ march against irregularities in the medical entrance exam and to demand the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. (Source: PTI)    

GUWAHATI : The Assam Assembly on Thursday passed the Rs 2.85 lakh crore state Budget for 2026-27 financial year. With the passage of ‘The Assam Appropriation (No. II) Bill, 2026’, the state Budget for the next fiscal was passed, Speaker Ranjeet Kumar Dass said. On July 10, the Assam government had presented a Rs 2,85,084 crore Budget for the 2026-27 financial year, and proposed to raise the tax exemption limit for small tea growers by four times and cut VAT on piped natural gas by almost 10 percentage points. Presenting his maiden budget, Assam Finance Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah had also announced to continue all the major schemes rolled out during the last five years, but said persons practising polygamy will not be eligible for any benefits and government staff found guilty of the practice will face dismissal. Proposing a ‘green cess’ on polluting sectors, the Assam government had announced that two lakh people will be recruited over the next five years by filling existing vacancies and creating new posts across various departments. With a deficit of Rs 419.26 crore, Baruah had aimed for a fiscal deficit of 3 per cent of the state’s projected GSDP. (Source: PTI)