A girl wades through flood waters in the flood affected Morigaon district of Assam last month. Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar
Against the backdrop of frequent floods in Assam and allegations of its failures to deal with the situation, the Centre has decided to restructure the Brahmaputra Board and turn it into a body to develop and manage water resources of the entire Northeastern region.
The
Water Resources Ministry has sought feedback of Chief Ministers of the
seven northeastern States on the draft proposal to restructure the Board
which came into being 32 years ago.
The Government
may bring in a new legislation to transform the Brahmaputra Board into
the Brahmaputra River Valley Authority and replace the current
Brahmaputra Board 1980 Act.
“A review of the
functioning of the Brahmaputra Board reveals that it did not have a
mandate to provide a strong framework for the holistic development of
the Brahmaputra river,” said the draft.
It also said
the Board failed to build up competent engineering cadre to support its
activities which remained largely concentrated in the state of Assam.
According
to the draft, the proposed Authority will be mandated to coordinate
development and management of water, land and related sources to
maximise economic and social welfare without compromising the ecosystem
of the Brahmaputra valley.
It will have two parts — a policy making apex council and an executive wing.
The
Council will be headed by the Water Resources Minister as Chairman and
include the Chief Ministers and Ministers for water resources of the NE
states.
The Executive Board will be responsible for implementing the decisions of the council.
After
the Authority is set up, the Centre will create a fund called the
Brahmaputra Fund. The fund will be used to finance the water resources
activities in the member states.
The Centre will be the custodian of the fund which will be controlled by the Authority, the draft said.
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