Guwahati: Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh today (Nov 21, 2004) said that there was a need to set up a cohesive and autonomous self-contained entity on the lines of the Damodar Valley Corporation and Tenessee Valley Authority to solve the flood problem in the North East.

"The entity can be called the Brahmaputra Valley Authority or the North-East Water Resources Development Authority," Dr Singh said while formally inaugurating the Assam Secretariat in Dispur.

The body, which will be given managerial and financial autonomy and backed by Parliamentary sanction, would develop the river area, control flood effectively, provide electricity, irrigation facilities and develop infrastructure.

The Prime Minister said that he had announced the formation of a Task Force for the Northeast for tackling the flood problem during his visit to the State in August last.

''The Task Force was working on establishing the modalities for tackling the problem. We are also working on revamping and strengthening the Brahmaputra Board to make it an effective body,'' he said.

The problem of flood has both inter-State and international dimensions and it required short-term and long-term solutions, Dr Singh felt.