Seven-member central team heads for Assam

A team of seven union government officials will pay a three-day visit to Assam starting today to asses relief and rehabilitation requirements and assist the state administration in the rehabilitation of over two lakh people living in relief camps after the recent ethnic violence, the home ministry said.

The team comprises two joint secretaries from the home ministry and one each from the drinking water, health, rural development, food ministries and the Planning Commission. Shambhu Singh, joint secretary (north-east) and R K Srivastava, joint secretary (disaster management) are the two home ministry officials.

The delegation will visit Kokrajhar, Dhubri, Chirang and Baksa districts and assess the steps being taken by the government.

The team will hold meetings with state government officials and examine plans to implement the Rs300-crore relief package announced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for survivors of the violence. Singh had announced the package during his visit to the state.

Of the over four lakh people uprooted due to ethnic clashes between tribal Bodos and Bengali speaking Muslims, which erupted in the lower Assam areas of Kokrajhar and Dhubri in late July, over 1,70,000 have gone back to their homes.

The large scale violence in Assam led to exodus of thousands of northeast people from cities like Bangalore, Chennai and Pune after rumours and hate messages spread, threatening revenge for the killing of Muslims in Assam.