The Assam Congress on Monday said state NRC coordinator Prateek Hajela had assured them that those who could not attend hearings in the latest round of the re-verification process, would be given another opportunity in their home districts.

An 11-member delegation of the Congress on Monday met Hajela here after coming to know that a large number of people from the lower Assam districts had been asked to attend NRC hearings in far-off places in Upper Assam at a short notice.

According to the Congress, people have been asked to attend NRC hearings within 48 hours.

“Such notices have made the lives of the poor and flood-affected people miserable,” said Assam PCC spokesperson Durga Das Boro.

“Hajela promised us that those who will not be able to attend the hearings will be given another opportunity to attend the hearings in their home districts,” said Boro.

The delegation also spoke of the bus accident that took place at Khanapara here on Sunday night.

A few people, who were on their way to Upper Assam in the bus, suffered critical injuries after a dumper rammed into the bus and hot bitumen being carried by the dumper fell on the passengers.

Boro said Hajela had also promised to make arrangements for hearings in the home districts of those who were injured in the accident.

“According to Hajela, the re-verification will continue till August 20. Thereafter, the NRC authorities will be busy preparing the final NRC which is to be published by August 31,” Boro said.

They also took a dig at the BJP for not showing trust in the NRC.

Boro said the BJP governments at the Centre and the state are creating an atmosphere so that people lose their trust in the NRC after its publication.

PCC president and Rajya Sabha member Ripun Bora on Monday wrote to Union home minister Amit Shah seeking his intervention to stop the re-verification and to save Indian citizens from undue harassment.

Bora expressed apprehension that during the re-verification process, there is every possibility of large scale deletion of names from the draft NRC list.

He told Shah how the NRC authorities “very hurriedly” issued thousands of notices to different persons across the state for re-verification of the draft NRC list.