House team to seek flood control funds

Statesman News Service

MALDA. July 31: A 25-member all-party state Assembly team, headed by irrigation and waterways minister Mr Subhash Naskar, sports minister Mr Subhash Chakraborty and the state paliamentary affairs minister, Mr Sailen Sarkar, will visit New Delhi tentatively in August, to demand additional funds from the Centre for initiating flood control and anti-erosion measures in the state. The CPI-M MLA, Mr Biswanath Ghosh, today circulated leaflets here among the people, explaining the erosion situation of the state, including the resolution adopted in the Assembly on the last day of the session. The leaflet said that over 43 per cent of the total area is flood and erosion-prone, based on the recent statistics from 1978 to 2005. During this span, the state had faced floods ten times which affected millions of lives, besides killing hundreds of people in the state. The loss due to flood and erosion has been estimated at Rs 14,203 crore, the leaflet said. It was also pointed out that the state needed huge funds to maintain 9,062 km long embankments for flood protection across the state. The leaflet also said that the Assembly was aware of the fact that a large section of people live in low-lying areas, out of 903 ones who are living in per square kilometre, in this state owing to infiltration not only from Bangladesh but also from other states in search of jobs in West Bengal. A total of sixteen MLAs were the proposers of the discussion , including Mr Manas Bhuniya , Ms Santa Chhetri , Mr Partha Chatterjee , Mr Subrata Bakshi and other MLAs. The CPI-M leaders also claimed that the subject of flood and erosion protection is included in the common minimum programme of the UPA government. Quoting the discussion in the Assembly, it was also pointed that the role of central government for implementing flood control and management programmes were not satisfactory during the period 11th financial commission despite several reminders. “Heavy rains in the state are not solely responsible for flood in this region. Many rivers originating from Bhutan, Nepal and adjoining states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand carry flood waters in this state. According to the discussion published in the leaflet , it was also pointed out that the state had wanted to take up plans in across the state including the dams like Durgapur Barrage, Mythan Barrage, Massenjore Barrage and Damodar Valley . Besides there were several schemes including Teesta project, Sunderban, Ichhamati, Hooghly river and Rupnarayan. The Assembly has also adopted a resolution to demand funds for Teesta project in North Bengal as a national project, Subarnarekha in Midnapore and Dwarakeshwar-Gandheshwari and Kansavati projects in Bankura and Purulia districts. The estimated funds required for these projects are Rs 1,025 crore for Teesta Project targeting to finish its first phase by 2012, Rs 595 crore for Subarnarekha Project, Rs 400 crore for Drarakeshwar-Gandheshwari, Rs 120 crore for Siddheswari Noonbil Project in Birbhum and Rs 44 crore for Kansavati Project.