Wondering what decadence is? Many of us in Assam are wondering just that. 

When a death toll becomes just a statistic, is that a sign of decadence? Or is it when the ruling political class tries to deflect blame onto others, rather than looking within to see how the deaths of the very people who voted them to power could have been prevented? Or Is it when such a political class gets elected term after term? Or when officers, who live on the tax money of the masses, serve the interests of political masters against the masses themselves? Or perhaps, it is when media houses eschew questions that make the governments uncomfortable. Which one is the better indicator of decadence?" 

The Assam floods were a preventable catastrophe. They were driven by administrative negligence, illegal sand and stone mining, and a blatant disregard for scientific warnings by state authorities. Unlike political speeches, engineering inspections are technical assessments prepared by professionals responsible for river management. Such reports are intended to trigger swift preventive action — not mere archival documents. 

Despite a 2019 Gauhati High Court mandate for a specialised task force and 2022 technical reports highlighting imminent dangers, the state government failed to act, while the central government did not intervene upon being informed. When multiple warnings accumulate over several years, a failure to act becomes a governance........

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