• ‘Placed millions of lives in immediate peril’: Mamata hits out at DVC for ‘releasing water’ on Durga Puja’s Dashami
    Indian Express | 5 October 2025
  • Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday accused the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) of “inflicting misery” on “millions” of people in West Bengal during Durga Puja by “releasing water without prior notice.”

    The DVC, a central government agency, has not issued an immediate response. In earlier instances, it has defended its release decisions as technical requirements tied to inflows and dam safety.

    In a post on X, Banerjee said, “Bijoya Dashami marks the close of Durga Puja — a time for joy, cheer and renewed hope. Yet instead of allowing the people of West Bengal to conclude the festival in peace, the DVC released 65,000 cusecs of water without any prior notice to the state. This reckless act is nothing short of an attempt to inflict misery during our sacred festivities.”

    She added, “Such unilateral action is shameful and absolutely unacceptable. By releasing water without intimation, the DVC has placed millions of lives in Bengal in immediate peril. This is not a natural calamity, it is a disaster manufactured by the DVC. Let me be clear: I will not allow anyone to carry out a Bisarjan of Bengal. Every conspiracy against our people will be resisted with full force. Truth will prevail over deceit and good will triumph over evil. Joy Maa Durga!”

    This is not the first time Banerjee has targeted the DVC over flooding in Bengal. Last week, after heavy rains inundated Kolkata, she had said, “Nature is not in our hands. Kolkata Port, Farakka Barrage, DVC’s Maithon; they have not dredged for the past 20 years. Whenever it rains in Bihar or UP, water flows into Bengal. We have to manage everything ourselves.”

    In August, Banerjee blamed the DVC for floods in parts of south Bengal, alleging “a staggering 11-fold increase in DVC’s water discharge in 2025 compared to 2024, (which is also) 30 times higher than 2023”. She described the floods as a “man-made catastrophe”.

    DVC sources had claimed at the time that excessive rainfall in the Damodar Valley this year forced the release of water. A senior official had said, “We informed the state government before releasing water from the barrage.”

    Last year too, Banerjee accused the DVC of releasing water without consulting the state and withdrew Bengal’s representatives from the Damodar Valley Reservoir Regulation Committee (DVRRC). She also blamed Jharkhand for allegedly worsening the flood situation.

    In the wake of her protest, West Bengal’s Power Secretary, IAS officer Santanu Basu (2000 batch), stepped down from the DVC Board. The Chief Engineer (Irrigation and Waterways), West Bengal, also resigned from the DVRRC. The seven-member DVC Board comprises the Chairman, four DVC members, and three representatives from the Centre, West Bengal, and Jharkhand.

    On Friday evening, Mamata Banerjee again posted on X, “The latest update on the unilateral and wilful release of water by DVC is that they have by the evening today released more than 150,000 cusecs of water from Maithon and Panchet dams etc to flood our West Bengal during festival times. This is a deliberate ploy to unleash disaster on us in order to inflict pains on millions when they are still busy in the Pujas. Shameful, intolerable, unacceptable! We protest!!”

    The BJP’s state president Samik Bhattacharya said, “Mamata Banerjee is not saying how many dams the state government maintains and how many times they were dredging those rivers. She is basically trying to mislead the people and people of West Bengal can understand that.”

    CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty said, “She (CM) is basically trying to suppress the responsibility of the state government. If the Centre is doing such things, why are state representatives participating in the joint meeting and protesting such decisions?”

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