IMD warns of heavy rains in Bengal; Mamata reviews flood situation

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday warned of heavy rains in most of the districts of south Bengal over the next two days even as large areas in many districts still remain inundated under flood waters.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who reviewed the situation in Birbhum district, announced compensation of ₹2 lakh to the family members of the 28 people who were killed in the flood, while accusing the Damodar Valley Corporation of triggering a man-made flood by releasing huge volumes of water.

Banerjee also mocked the Indian Railways saying that it has created a “world record” of derailments. Her comments came after a few compartments of a goods train were derailed at Moynaguri in Jalpaiguri district on Tuesday.

“Rain doesn’t trigger flood in West Bengal. We get worried when it rains in Jharkhand. Every year a man-made flood is triggered when the DVC releases water. Still large areas are inundated,” she said.

Last week, the chief minister sent two letters to Prime minister Narendra Modi, seeking his intervention while accusing the DVC of triggering a “man-made flood”.

Responding to her first letter, Union jal shakti minister CR Paatil said that Bengal government officials were informed at every stage about the discharge of water from DVC’s reservoirs. The water was released to prevent a major disaster, he said.

Bengal power secretary Shantanu Basu and a chief engineer from the department quit the DVRRC (Damodar Valley Reservoir Regulation Committee) on Sunday, Banerjee said on Monday.

“The water has started receding. I have issued instructions. The state government will continue to provide gratuitous relief till situations become normal. There is a possibility of heavy rain in the next two to three days. We have to keep a watch,” she said.

The IMD has warned that a low pressure area over the Bay of Bengal could trigger heavy rains in in south Bengal till September 26. Heavy rains were expected in Hooghly, Birbhum, West Burdwan, West Midnapore among other districts which have beee hit by a flood since September 15.

Banerjee directed her party’s MLAs and MPs to use their local area development funds to repair roads and school buildings, which suffered damages in the flood.

“We don’t want such an organisation releasing water, killing people. DVC was formed to save people from flooding. They haven’t done dredging in the last 20 years. We urged them to release water in small quantities when the water level increased in their dams. But they released in one go,” she said, adding that she has no problem if the DVC shifts its headquarters out of West Bengal.

The chief minister had earlier claimed that this is the biggest flood West Bengal has been facing in the lower Damodar valley since 2009. The flood has affected more than 1000 sq km area and nearly five million people.

“The flood was triggered because the West Bengal government hasn’t repaired or maintained the embankments properly. The river water didn’t enter the villages by spilling over the top of the embankments. The embankments just collapsed in multiple areas in the districts. Mamata Banerjee herself is responsible for this flood,” Suvendu Adhikari, BJP legislator and leader of the Opposition in the state legislative assembly told reporters.

Meanwhile, speculations were rife that a meeting was likely between the TMC supremo and party leader Anubrata Mondal who was released from Tihar jail on Monday.

Mondal, who was arrested in August 2022 by the CBI in connection with the cattle smuggling scam and was flown to Delhi to be lodged in Tihar jail in March last year, reached his Birbhum residence early in the morning. The meeting, however, didn’t take place.

“I love and respect Mamata Banerjee. My puja wishes for her,” Mondal had told reporters earlier during the day.

Mondal and his daughter Sukanya, who was also in jail, were given a grand welcome by party workers.