An all-party delegation of the Assembly, led by Speaker Hitendra Nath Goswami, on Friday visited the areas affected by the hooch tragedy and took stock of the follow-up action taken by the government agencies to prevent recurrence of such incidents.

More than 150 people had lost their lives after consuming toxic hooch.

Goswami said they visited the affected tea garden areas in Golaghat and Jorhat districts and also visited the Jorhat Medical College and Hospital (JMCH), where nearly 50 people are still undergoing treatment.

“Among those undergoing treatment at JMCH, some have lost their eyesight and few others are suffering from withdrawal symptoms,” the Speaker said.

“Following the incident, a large quantity of illegally-stocked laligur, a liquid form of molasses used in making illicit liquor, was seized. We have asked the authorities to destroy the seized laligur publicly to convey a strong message to those involved in the molasses trade,” he said.

The team also asked police to launch a hunt for the absconding accused and arrest them as early as possible.

“In the tea gardens, rampant sale of illicit liquor takes place on Saturdays when wages for the week are paid. We have asked the police and excise officials to launch a sustained crackdown on illicit liquor in the tea garden areas, particularly on Saturdays, for at least the next couple of months,” Goswami said.

There are children who have lost both their parents and mere payment of compensation will not help them, he added. “We will have to develop a comprehensive package for these orphaned children. I have asked the administration of the two districts to hold discussions with reputed NGOs and public representatives on how to conduct their rehabilitation,” the Speaker said.

Minister of state for health and family welfare Pijush Hazarika and minister of state for labour and employment Pallab Lochan Das also accompanied the delegation.

The other members of the all-party team were Debabrata Saikia, Brindaban Goswami, Rakibul Hussain, Ajanta Neog, Atul Bora, Aminul Islam, Kamalsingh Narzary, Ramendra Narayan Kalita, Rupjyoti Kurmi, Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha, Nurul Huda, Bhubon Pegu, Terash Gowalla, Roselina Tirkey, Sanjay Kishan, Rituparna Baruah, Bimal Borah and Debananda Hazarika.

CM effigy burnt

Boko block Congress officials on Friday burnt the effigies of Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, finance and health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and excise minister Parimal Suklabaidya in front of Rajiv Bhawan here, demanding immediate investigation into the hooch tragedy.