River pollution sparks row

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Oct. 26: Local Durga puja organisers who were prevented from dumping waste into the Mahananda river following the guidelines of the Calcutta High Court and the Environment Pollution Board, have criticised the authorities concerned for allowing several drains to meet the Mahananda river. "If wastes can pollute the river, so are the drains. There is a high drain on the bank of the Mahananda in English Bazaar town. This train is connected to the river. There are several other drains as well which meet the river and pollute it," said a local puja committee member. Mr Manoranjan Uapadhayay, secretary of a big puja committee, questioned: "Why should we follow the direction of the PCB if the English Bazaar civic body continues to pollute the river through drains?" Asked about the allegation, the English Bazaar municipality vice chairman, Mr Biswanath Guho, said: "Efforts are on to release the drain water into the river after treatment." The chief of the civic body, Mr Narendranath Tiwari, however, said that the state government should cooperate with them in executing the proposal. "The Centre has sanctioned Rs 1,000 crore under the Mahananda Action Plan. However, while the Siliguri Municipal Corporation has got the amount to implement the project, the English Bazaar and the Old Malda civic bodies have been ignored," Mr Tiwari, said.