Akhil Gogoi ends Assam sit-in as Himanta Biswa Sarma government guarantees flood relief

Raijor Dal MLA Akhil Gogoi has called off his sit-in demonstration outside the Assam legislative assembly after the state government stepped in with a structured relief package and agreed to order a high-level inquiry into recent flooding across Upper Assam.

The breakthrough came on Thursday when two senior cabinet ministers, Keshab Mahanta and Pijush Hazarika, arrived at the protest site outside the assembly complex in Guwahati. Deputed directly by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the ministers presented administrative decisions aimed at resolving rehabilitation demands and ensuring no eligible household is overlooked.

Gogoi had launched his protest on 2 October, drawing attention to communities hit by severe flooding across four Upper Assam districts: Sivasagar, Charaideo, Jorhat, and Golaghat. Sources reported the duration of the demonstration as either 13 or 14 days.

What the Assam government agreed

The administration confirmed immediate financial support for affected residents while establishing mechanisms to review wider damage.

Cabinet Minister Keshab Mahanta announced that the government has sanctioned ₹15,000 as one-time interim financial assistance to each of the 3,068 families identified in a memorandum submitted by the Raijor Dal. The disbursement will require an immediate state outlay exceeding ₹4.60 crore.

Addressing Gogoi's call for an additional ₹10,000 per family in the heavily impacted districts of Sivasagar and Charaideo, Mahanta confirmed that administrative teams will conduct a targeted ground survey before taking a final decision. The government has also instituted a high-level inquiry by an expert committee to examine the flood circumstances and related fatalities, with the formal panel composition to be notified shortly.

Flood relief package at a glance

Administration expedites wide-scale assistance

The prompt ministerial outreach reflects the state government’s focus on maintaining stability and delivering welfare support swiftly across flood-affected belts. Official machinery has already initiated assistance drives covering 57,000 families throughout the region, demonstrating broad administrative reach.

Following the talks, Gogoi confirmed that the deadlock over pending ₹15,000 payments had been addressed and praised the willingness of the authorities to conduct fresh surveys for families omitted during initial rounds, particularly in Sivasagar. The legislator also asked the government to consider doubling financial support under the Orunodoi welfare scheme for displaced families and to provide housing aid for residents whose homes were swept away.

With formal commitments in place, Gogoi announced the conclusion of the protest in Guwahati and directed Raijor Dal cadres staging concurrent demonstrations in Sivasagar and Charaideo to disperse.