Assam and its love affair with floods!

There was a time when I was pretty much thrilled with the onset of monsoon. It indicated two things: one was the obvious chillness and excitement brought about by the rain Gods and the other was the calling of Durga Puja. Even though the later still makes me ultra happy as it is my favourite festival but my love-affair with the mischievous rain has degraded to an all-time low. Back in the day, I used to be a wild-natured kid when it came to outdoor activities. Even the rain couldn’t stop me from playing out in the ground. The rain used to be such a relief for me as well as the other people back then. But much has changed over the years. The rain isn't the people’s favourite anymore. The only thing which concerns people nowadays when it rains is the flood. These artificial floods have been a major problem for the people of Assam, especially Guwahati, and for the last few years, the situation isn’t showing any signs of improvement as well.

Everybody, from that moron Chief-Minister to his council of equally stupid ministers and the mayor has always assured that the situation of floods would be solved before the next shower of rain. This non-sense assurance has always kept the Guwahatians hoping that the politicians would be able to keep their word and that these floods would disappear as soon as possible. So, when the decision to break down the illegal living sheds and houses that were built on lands which narrowed down rivers like our own ‘Bharalu river’ or in places which blocked down drains, I expected that this action would yield the desired result. But with the floods showing more horrible images day by day, it is high time the people running our state take some legitimate measures. After all, the floods have become a regular occurrence on account of even a light shower of rain. I mean, to what extent do we have to suffer until the Government takes sensible measures to tackle the floods? Has the Government taken the lives of the citizens for granted? Or would the Government show signs of being effective in their quest for fighting the floods?

With every passing day, the floods have turned more nightmarish. The floods have paralyzed the lives of the people across the state. Many lives have also been lost on account of various accidents during the floods. I don’t think any place has witnessed such series of floods like our state. The plight of certain people which was shown in the local news is horrible to say the least. This is the result of both public negligence and Government inefficiency. The public has to accept the blame too. For long, the locals have been at fault too with irresponsible handling of public dustbins and negligence in clearing drains. So, the blame has to be put on both sides. But, now the floods wouldn’t just disappear without the correct steps taken by the Government. And if the state of Assam doesn’t want to experience floods like those which destroyed much of Jammu & Kashmir, then Tarun Gogoi must step up his work or better, step down from his position.