Sonia assures help to tackle Arunachal floods

Itanagar: UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi has assured Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki that the Centre would soon send a team to take stock of the damage caused by floods in the state.

Gandhi, during a meeting with the chief minister on Sunday, said the Centre was aware of the worsening flood situation in Arunachal and assured all possible help to repair damage caused by sudden floods, official sources said here yesterday.

Tuki along with state’s AICC incharge, Dhaniram Shandil, called on Gandhi with a plea for immediate assessment of devastation caused by the flood and central aid to overcome the crisis.

Tuki also apprised the UPA chairperson of the initiatives taken by the state’s Congress government to uplift the living standard of the common masses through transparent implementation of all central and state government programmes and reiterated his commitment to a “People’s government” in the state.

Gandhi promised to visit the state in the latter part of October with AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi in response to a plea by the CM, sources said.

Later, Tuki called on Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid and urged him to consider establishment of an independent High Court for Arunachal Pradesh.

Tuki, who was accompanied by Lok Sabha MP Takam Sanjoy, briefed Khurshid on the number of cases of the state pending with the judiciary and the impact of the delay on the people as well as the state government, sources said.

“Judiciary will become efficient and deliver speedy justice to the people by setting up an independent High Court,” sources said quoting Tuki.