Even as her senior ministerial colleague Subrata Mukherjee on Tuesday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “not taking note of the serious flood situation in Bengal”, State Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said she was rushing to Delhi in a few days to demand Central aid for the 12 marooned districts of the State.
“The flood situation is grim as the Damodar Valley Corporation barrages have released more water flooding many fresh areas of the State. There is no other way but to seek Central aid,” the Chief Minister said adding she was “rushing to Delhi on 11th-12th of this month and have sought the appointment of the Prime Minister in this regard.”
The Chief Minister also spoke to Union Minister Piyush Goyal over “additional water being released by the DVC barrages flooding the lower trajectory areas of Bengal.”
Even as the Chief Minister expressed her displeasure at the way “the DVC is flooding Bengal”, her senior ministerial colleague Subrata Mukherjee attacked the Prime Minister for “not taking note of the serious flood situation” in the State. “The least he could have done was to make an aerial survey of the flooded areas. He would certainly have done so had a flood of this magnitude affected his own regions. He chose to ignore us,” Mukherjee, a veteran politician, said.
The flood situation in the State remained grim affecting about 62 lakh people across 12 districts, the Chief Minister said. About 16,000 villages in 233 blocks mostly in South Bengal were under water, Banerjee said adding the Government had opened 3,000 camps where 4.31 lakh people had taken shelter. About 1.78 lakh houses had been damaged and at least 83 deaths were reported, the Chief Minister said.
Worst affected districts were Birbhum, Burdwan, Hooghly, Howrah. Parts of North and South 24 Parganas, Nadia, two Midnapores were also under water which may take days to recede triggering fears of waterborne diseases.
Rivers like Hooghly, Damodar, Ajoy, Mayurakshi, Kue, Kangshabati and Roopnarayan had flooded extensive parts of Murshidabad, Birbhum, Bankura Hooghly, Howrah and Burdwan, Government sources said.
“It will be a Himalayan task to reach relief in such a vast area. Still our men are doing it and we need Central financial assistance for which I am rushing to Delhi,” she said. The Chief Minister, who held a video-conferencing with the District Magistrates said the relief money announced by the Government should reach the affected people and a report should be tabled by August 18.
Banerjee had announced `4 lakh as compensation for those who had died in the flood. Those who had lost their limbs would get `2 lakh and those who were injured would be given `60,000 each.