Sukhmani Kooner, Pune
In the ongoing crisis of floods in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has labeled the flood situation in the state’s northern districts as “alarming.” As heavy rains devastate the region, Banerjee has accused the central government of neglecting to provide much-needed assistance, leaving the state to fend for itself.
En route to examine the situation in the northern parts of Bengal, CM emphasized that her administration is tackling the disaster on a “war footing,” deploying emergency measures and relief efforts despite not getting funding from the central government.
While going to Siliguri, one of the affected areas, to attend an administrative meeting with the Chief secretary who had been sent to north Bengal to assess the situation, she told the correspondents that districts like Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, and Alipurduar in the northern region of Bengal are badly affected. She further mentioned that due to heavy rain in catchment areas of Koshi River, places in, “ Bihar and Malda and Dakshin Dinajpur districts of Bengal will be affected in the near future”. The meeting to address the further plan of action will be held at Uttarkanya, Siliguri at 5 PM on 30th September.
The CM is blaming the party in power for not helping Bengal when the state is grappling with a natural disaster. The state hit by natural calamities is accusing the centre of not starting maintenance work on the Farakka barrage. Banerjee said that even after repeatedly calling the centre for help, to start working on increasing the water holding capacity of the barrage, they did not budge.
In her many allegations, the CM also accused the BJP leaders of only showing up in West Bengal in and around the election season and disappearing when it matters the most. She also accused the centre of depriving flood grants to only Bengal.
The CM mentioned that, in attempts to minimise the damage done by floods, the state government is tackling the situation on a war footing and has also launched a public address system that will help in evacuating people living near rivers to places of safety. She also mentioned that the NH – 10 which connects Skikim to Bengal has been affected due to the floods, but the state government is in touch with the Army to start restoration work as soon as the water recedes.