A delegation of Trinamool MPs and ministers, including minister Soumen Mahapatra, Manash Bhuniya and MP Dev, will meet the union minister for Irrigation during the ongoing Monsoon session and seek approval for the said plan,” Mamata Banerjee announced after visiting the flood-affected areas.
Calling the flood “man-made and planned”, Mamata said she will prepare a report on the flood situation, after visiting flood-affected East Midnapore district’s Ghatal on Tuesday and also did an aerial review of the flood situation.
The Ghatal master plan is a cluster of projects which include the dredging and widening of riverbeds, strengthening of embankments, widening the confluences of at least 10 large rivers including Kansabati river and at least 40 channels and sub-channels passing through East and West Midnapore. According to the Ghatal Master Plan, several projects would be undertaken to desilt the rivers in the area, repair the canals and build a dam on the Shilabati river, among others.
“Desilting the rivers and building dams is an essential part of the Master plan and it will save the people from their plight,” Manash Bhuniya, a Trinamool MLA from Sabang said.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited the flood-hit Ghatal area in the West Medinipur district, and also undertook an aerial survey. After visiting the flood-hit areas of Ghatal, Banerjee announced that she would send a team to New Delhi for approval of the project.
The main work of the project is widespread dredging of the rivers and channels to allow t=the water pass. But after around 10 years, cost-escalation and other factors have resulted in exceeding the budget, and now we can’t finish the plan without Rs 2,000 crore more,” said a government official.
“This is a man-made flood. The Centre is not paying heed to our requests for the Ghatal Master Plan. I have conducted a survey of the area and will prepare a report on this,” she alleged.
Her helicopter landed in Moyrapukur from where she went to meet people affected by the flood. She had to cancel her administrative meeting due to largescale inundation.
At least three districts of West Bengal, including East and West Midnapore, Howrah and Hooghly were flooded and at least 23 people killed in last few weeks. Among them, Howrah and Hooghly were under water due to alleged release of water by DVC, which Mamata claimed to be ‘man-made’ and complained to PM Narendra Modi.