Mamata Banerjee Blames Centre for Floods, Wants DVC HQ Moved

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee criticized the Centre for the inundation caused by the Damodar Valley Corporation's water release. She suggested moving the DVC headquarters out of Kolkata, accusing it of causing deaths. Banerjee has also sought PM Modi's intervention, labeling the flooding as man-made.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday lambasted the Centre, suggesting the relocation of the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) headquarters from Kolkata. Banerjee's outburst came in response to severe flooding in several southern districts of the state, attributed to water releases from DVC-managed dams under the Centre's Ministry of Power.

During an official visit to flood-affected Birbhum, Banerjee declared, ''Let them (Centre) take it (DVC) away. I do not care. They have removed everything from Kolkata. They keep a building (DVC headquarters) here but will not listen to Kolkata and keep on releasing water, inundating Bengal and killing people.''

Banerjee reported that 28 people have died due to the floods, holding the central government accountable for the water releases. She asserted that the capacity of DVC dams has decreased due to a lack of dredging over the last 20 years. In recent letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she urged for intervention and funds, claiming the floods to be man-made because of the unnecessary water discharge. The union power ministry has denied these accusations, maintaining that all norms were followed.

Following the recent resignation of two West Bengal officials from the Damodar Valley Reservoir Regulation Committee, the state government claimed the floods have severely impacted numerous districts, including Purba and Paschim Bardhaman, Birbhum, Bankura, Howrah, Hooghly, and Purba and Paschim Medinipur.

(With inputs from agencies.)