FBP asked to take care of Bhutni Diara

Statesman News Service

MALDA, June 12: Officials of the state irrigation department, Malda division, have approached the Farakka Barrage Project (FBP), a Central government unit, to take up anti-erosion work on Bhutni Diara island under Manikchak block. The executive engineer of Malda, Mr Soumen Misra, recently sent a letter to the superintendent engineer, north central circle of the state irrigation department, urging him to request the FBP authorities to take up the matter soon. Sources said that state irrigation officials would approach the FBP for anti-erosion work at Bhutni Diara to protect its bank line from the fury of the Ganges this year. Over 55 hectares of the island were eroded last year and the Malda irrigation department, with financial help from the Malda Zilla Parishad, had carried out temporary, anti-erosion work there to save its circuit embankment from the floods.This year, the department has approached the FBP to carry out anti-erosion work because the Bhutni Diara island is now under the FBP’s jurisdiction. Mr Misra said: “We will look after the circuit embankment at Bhutni Diara. There is also a vulnerable point at North-west of South Chandipur area where the distance between the Ganges and the circuit embankment is just 200 metres.” There is also a need to strengthen the circuit embankment in Bhutni Diara for flood prevention and construction of a road atop the circuit embankment, Mr Misra added. The FBP engineers are busy with anti-erosion work being carried out on the left bank of the Ganges in the Kaliachak II block, identified as most vulnerable and erosion-prone. At least Rs 14 crore has been allotted for this project. There is still doubt as to how the engineers of the FBP would manage time and funds for the protection of the bank line of the Bhutni Diara in Manikchak before the onslaught of the high floods.