The Crossbill News Desk
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has reiterated her claim that the floods in West Bengal are a "man-made" disaster, attributing the situation to the release of water by the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) from reservoirs in Jharkhand.
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she expressed her government's concerns and announced that the borders with Jharkhand, governed by the INDIA Bloc partner Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), have been "sealed" to halt the entry of heavy vehicles.
In her letter, dated Friday, Banerjee detailed the widespread devastation in South Bengal, due to what she described as an "unprecedented, unplanned, and unilateral release" of nearly 500,000 cusecs of water from the Maithon and Panchet dams, both managed by the DVC.
“I would like to draw your kind attention to the fact that as a result of an unprecedented, unplanned and unilateral release of an enormously huge volume of water at nearly 5 lakh cusec from the combined system of Maithon and Panchat dams owned and maintained by the DVC (Damodar Valley Corporation), all districts of South Bengal viz Purba Bardhaman, Paschim Bardhaman, Birbhum, Bankura, Howrah, Hooghly, Purba Medinipore and Padchim Medinipore have been plunged into devastating floods causing severe miseries to the common people,” Banerjee wrote in her letter.
In her letter to PM Modi, she criticized the DVC for prioritizing power generation over flood control, asserting that this shift has negatively impacted West Bengal’s interests. Banerjee warned that if this "unilateral approach" persists, her government will fully disengage from the DVC and withdraw West Bengal's participation. “We cannot allow this ongoing injustice to affect our people year after year,” she said in her correspondence.
Earlier in the week, Banerjee had commented that both the DVC and the Jharkhand government were attempting to save their own states by releasing water into Bengal, with the DVC releasing from the Maithon and Panchet dams, and Jharkhand from the Tenughat dam.
Following her statements, the West Bengal government enacted a ban on the entry of heavy vehicles from Jharkhand at the Dibudih check post, leading to a complete paralysis of truck movement on National Highway-2.
In response, the Union power ministry stated that all relevant authorities had been informed about the water release from the dams. The ministry clarified that these releases were made following advice from the Damodar Valley Reservoir Regulation Committee (DVRRC), which includes representatives from both West Bengal and Jharkhand.
Additionally, the Tenughat dam, operated by the Jharkhand government, released a significant volume of 85,000 cusecs, but the Jharkhand government declined to include this dam under the DVRRC's oversight.
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she expressed her government's concerns and announced that the borders with Jharkhand, governed by the INDIA Bloc partner Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), have been "sealed" to halt the entry of heavy vehicles.
In her letter, dated Friday, Banerjee detailed the widespread devastation in South Bengal, due to what she described as an "unprecedented, unplanned, and unilateral release" of nearly 500,000 cusecs of water from the Maithon and Panchet dams, both managed by the DVC.
“I would like to draw your kind attention to the fact that as a result of an unprecedented, unplanned and unilateral release of an enormously huge volume of water at nearly 5 lakh cusec from the combined system of Maithon and Panchat dams owned and maintained by the DVC (Damodar Valley Corporation), all districts of South Bengal viz Purba Bardhaman, Paschim Bardhaman, Birbhum, Bankura, Howrah, Hooghly, Purba Medinipore and Padchim Medinipore have been plunged into devastating floods causing severe miseries to the common people,” Banerjee wrote in her letter.
In her letter to PM Modi, she criticized the DVC for prioritizing power generation over flood control, asserting that this shift has negatively impacted West Bengal’s interests. Banerjee warned that if this "unilateral approach" persists, her government will fully disengage from the DVC and withdraw West Bengal's participation. “We cannot allow this ongoing injustice to affect our people year after year,” she said in her correspondence.
Earlier in the week, Banerjee had commented that both the DVC and the Jharkhand government were attempting to save their own states by releasing water into Bengal, with the DVC releasing from the Maithon and Panchet dams, and Jharkhand from the Tenughat dam.
Following her statements, the West Bengal government enacted a ban on the entry of heavy vehicles from Jharkhand at the Dibudih check post, leading to a complete paralysis of truck movement on National Highway-2.
In response, the Union power ministry stated that all relevant authorities had been informed about the water release from the dams. The ministry clarified that these releases were made following advice from the Damodar Valley Reservoir Regulation Committee (DVRRC), which includes representatives from both West Bengal and Jharkhand.
Additionally, the Tenughat dam, operated by the Jharkhand government, released a significant volume of 85,000 cusecs, but the Jharkhand government declined to include this dam under the DVRRC's oversight.
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