Dibrugarh: The Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) on Monday staged a three-hour sit-in demonstration in Dibrugarh, demanding that the Centre declare Assam’s recurring flood and erosion problem a national disaster and adopt a permanent solution.
The organisation also sought a scientifically planned, long-term strategy to address floods and erosion, waiver of agricultural loans for flood- and erosion-affected farmers, and adequate compensation for people who have lost land, homes or livelihoods.
AJYCP leaders submitted a memorandum outlining the four demands and said the organisation had been raising the issue for several years without a satisfactory response from the Central government.
Speaking during the protest, an AJYCP representative said floods and erosion affects lakhs of people across Assam every year and argued that the crisis warranted recognition as a national disaster.
He also said existing compensation was inadequate for people who had permanently lost agricultural land due to erosion.
AJYCP leaders said the sit-in was part of the organisation’s ongoing campaign on the issue and indicated that its next course of action would depend on the Centre’s response to the memorandum.
“We will watch how the government responds to our memorandum. If there is no movement on our demands, we will decide on the next course of action,” an AJYCP leader said.