West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee blames Centre for flooding: ‘No dredging done, treaties being signed without consulting the state’

“Earlier, they (Centre) used to consult with the state government before finalising a treaty with Bangladesh. But this time without informing me, the Farakka treaty is being renewed,” the chief minister added.

Pointing out her opposition to the Centre’s ongoing talks with Bangladesh over sharing water of Teesta river, Banerjee said: “Is there any water that they want to give? If that treaty is signed, nobody will get drinking water in north Bengal.”

Waterlogging on the NH 10, Sikkim-Siliguri route, due to torrential rains on Sunday. (PTI)

“When Sikkim constructed 14 hydel projects (on Teesta), the Central government did not say a single word. They have no monitoring process and we are facing the problem. We are now spending crores of rupees to stop erosion of the rivers in north Bengal. We stopped erosion caused by the Atreyee river,” she said.

“But water released by Bhutan flooded Alipurduar. All are releasing water (to North Bengal) and our state suffers the most. The Central government did not inform us when a dam was built on the Atreyee river. As a result, now Jalpaiguri is facing a drinking water crisis,” the chief minister added.

tating that it was also the responsibility of the Army to clear the debris on the roads in Darjeeling caused by landslides “as they mainly use the roads there”, the chief minister said, “Jalpaiguri and Mal have been hit. Nine relief centers have been set up. There are 500 people taking shelter there.”

The chief minister also said water released by Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) has led to flooding in many areas in the south of the state. “DVC is not conducting dredging regularly. Khanakul, Arambagh, Goghat, Medinipur, Jhargram get flooded every year. Bankura gets flooded when water is released from Mukutmanipur.

Durgapur gets flooded from the water released by DVC. How much water will the DVC release, I have to get a daily report. They (DVC) can’t release 100 per cent at once. When you are looking at 75 per cent water, then start releasing a little amount is not a problem. DVC can hold 2 lakh metric tonnes of cusec of water, but they are not doing dredging and that results in flood in West Bengal,” the chief minister alleged.

Railways must act on water logging in Howrah: CM

Flagging the waterlogging situation at Howrah railway station and nearby areas, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday directed Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim to speak with the Railways on resolving the issue. “If waterlogging happens, the railways will have to act. The railways have to make arrangements to remove water. There is danger of dengue if the water accumulates,” the chief minister said.