Don't care if Damodar Valley Corporation moves HQ out of Kolkata: Mamata Banerjee
Times of India | 25 September 2024
Mamata Banerjee speaks to the media after an administrative meeting in Bolpur on the floods BOLPUR: Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said she "did not care" if Centre shifted the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) headquarters out of Kolkata, adding she did not want the organisation, which causes deaths of numerous people in the state by releasing water, to stay there.
"Let them (Centre) take DVC away. I do not care," Banerjee said in Bolpur, where she had gone for an administrative meeting."They have removed everything from Kolkata and there is nothing left. They keep a building (the DVC headquarters) in Kolkata, but will not listen to Kolkata and keep on releasing water, inundating Bengal and killing people."
Banerjee's comments came about a week since she, on a visit to flood-affected areas in south Bengal, termed it man-made, accusing DVC of "unilaterally" releasing the water, without consulting or listening to the state's pleas. Following this, she had also shot off two letters to PM Narendra Modi - the first asking for his intervention, and the second, after Union Jal Shakti minister C R Paatil refuted her "unilateral" allegation, saying she "respectfully" disagreed". Before that, she had also announced that Bengal was "severing" all ties with DVC.
Following this, two senior DVC officials put in their papers: power secretary Santanu Basu resigned as the state's representative in the DVC board, and irrigation and waterways chief engineer Uttam Ray as a member of Damodar Valley Reservoir Regulation Committee (DVRRC), protesting against "unplanned and uncalibrated" water release.
Twenty-eight people had perished in the floods, Banerjee claimed on Tuesday, announcing financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh to each of the bereaved families.
While saying she did not care if Centre removed the DVC office out of Kolkata, Banerjee also observed that Union govt was "removing" all important central govt headquarters from the city. "What is the use of the office when central govt's water resources department is taking all the decisions? There are some babus who sit on comfortable chairs in Kolkata while DVC is causing man-made floods across Bengal," she said.
"I do not want an organisation that releases water and kills people," Banerjee said, adding, "DVC was set up to protect people from floods. Instead, they are releasing 4 lakh cusecs water at one go. We have requested them to release 10,000 cusecs in phases, so that our land can absorb it. Instead, can you imagine, they released water up to the level of three floors at one go."
She also instructed party MPs and MLAs to use their funds for rural road repairs once the water recedes. "MLAs will use their funds to repair rural roads until March 2025, after the water recedes," she said, also directing party MPs to use Rs 4 crore from the MPs' fund for rural road repairs and Rs 1 crore for repairing damaged school buildings.
The CM said she was postponing all administrative review meetings till the end of Chhath festival (in early Nov), so that govt could concentrate on the flood situation. "I am visiting flood-affected areas. The water has just receded in Birbhum. Several areas, such as Dubrajpur, Sainthia, Suri and Bolpur have been adversely affected," she said.