Mamata Banerjee Blames Centre for West Bengal Flood Crisis

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticized the Centre for its negligence in dredging at Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), accusing it of releasing excess water that led to flooding in several districts. She announced a temporary border shutdown with Jharkhand and called for more support from the central government.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited the flood-hit regions of Howrah and Panskura in Medinipur on Thursday, blaming the Centre for its failure to conduct proper dredging at the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC). She claimed that DVC's release of more than 5 lakh cusecs of water led to severe flooding in numerous districts.

"This has never happened before," Banerjee remarked. "We hold regular meetings and I personally requested the DVC chairman not to release excessive water. Our state is boat-shaped, and while floods in North Bengal come from Nepal and Bhutan, here they come from Jharkhand." Banerjee emphasized the state government's efforts, noting the construction of 500 check dams and promising timely relief for affected farmers. She criticized the Centre for not releasing funds over the past three years and failing to support erosion measures in Farakka.

Banerjee further condemned the lack of infrastructure maintenance, saying, "This flooding did not occur due to rain alone. We can manage rain, but we cannot handle over 5 lakh cusecs of water released by the DVC." She announced the closure of the border with Jharkhand and severing of ties with the DVC for three days. Despite repeated appeals to the Prime Minister, she said no actions were taken. The Chief Minister also highlighted other neglected areas like Malda and stressed the urgent need for central assistance.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that the deep depression over Gangetic West Bengal moved west-northwestward at a rate of 5 km/h, predicting rainfall in South 24 Parganas. The system was located 120 km west-northwest of Kolkata and 200 km east-southeast of Ranchi as of September 15, 2024.

(With inputs from agencies.)