Kutum told newsmen the Central team did not visit the State, and the Centre did not provide funds for flood relief as with Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar.

The kind of help expected from the Centre has not been received, he said, despite his leading an all-party delegation to the president, prime minister and some of his Cabinet colleagues in July to apprise them of the flood situation.

He, however, refused to comment when asked if the State leadership itself had failed to realise the gravity of the situation.

The State Flood Control Department had no justification for its existence, the Speaker said, as the flood control bunds often breached without warning, washing away villages and resulting in deaths.

Meanwhile, the water level of the rivers isreceding, but that is hardly a respite for the people, confronted as they are with a new problem -- an acute shortage of food and essential commodities.

Official sources said that whatever food was available remained out of the common people's reach because of skyrocketing prices. With road and rail communication disrupted, hardly any food and other commodities reached the affected 21 districts.

However, the State Government has set up a monitoring cell to keep a check on the prices, the sources said.

Vast stretches of land still lay submerged. Most of the affected people were still sheltered in the 1,025 relief camps set up by the State Government.

The death toll in the current wave of floods is 156, with more than 45 lakh people affected in 5,126 villages, the sources said. In the worst-affected Dhemaji district, road and rail communication has remained disrupted for more than three months. Most of the affected were still sheltered in 87 relief camps.

The flood situation in Golaghat, Goalpara andDhubri districts was still grim with the rivers flowing above the danger level.

In Lakhimpur district, the water level of the Subansiri and its tributaries was receding but several areas were still submerged, with people sheltered in 69 relief camps.

The situation in districts like Dibrugarh and Jorhat was, however, improving, with the Brahmaputra flowing below the danger level.

The flood situation in Darrang and Sonitpur districts improved marginally, though vast areas remained submerged under flood waters and people still sheltered in relief camps.

The water level in the Kaziranga National Park, which witnessed the worst floods in recent history, was subsiding, although large parts were still submerged. The park lost 269 animals, including 19 rhinoceros, in this year's devastating floods, the sources added.

The current spate of floods has also ruined a total crop area of 2,47,178 hectares, damaged 22,743 houses and resulted in the death of nearly 8,000 cattle.

Meanwhile, in North Bihar, theoverall flood situation in several blocks showed no sign of improvement, with people swarming to hospitals with complaints of water-borne diseases, according to official sources.

Relief and Rehabilitation Department sources said the death toll mounted to 337, with the flood ravaging 28 districts of North and Central Bihar.

A Darbhanga report, quoting official sources, said that so far, 14 people had died of diarrheoa and gastroenteritis in the district.

In Katihar, one of the worst-affected districts, one column of army personnel with eight speed boats and two helicopters continued to provide relief material to marooned villages of Manihari and Amdabad blocks.

While the Bihar Government has sought Rs 931 crore from the Centre for providing succour to flood-affected people and the creation of infrastructure, the Central team that toured the flood-affected districts to assess the damage promised to recommend special assistance to Bihar in the form of ``adhoc relief''.