Minister holds flood preparedness meet ahead of monsoon in North Bengal
The Statesman | 27 May 2026
With the monsoon approaching, North Bengal Development minister Nishith Pramanik on Tuesday convened an emergency flood preparedness meeting at Uttarkanya in Siliguri with district magistrates of all eight districts of North Bengal, irrigation department officials, and public representatives, including MLAs from both ruling and opposition parties.
Officials of various agencies, including the BSF, SSB, NDRF and other disaster management authorities, also attended the meeting, which focused on flood control measures, identification of vulnerable spots, and coordination among departments ahead of the rainy season.
Addressing reporters after the meeting, Mr Pramanik said the irrigation department had already started work on its annual action plan and ongoing projects must be completed quickly as the monsoon is less than a month away. He said district administrations, public representatives, MPs and MLAs would work in coordination to strengthen flood management measures across the region.
Referring to last year’s flood situation, the minister said heavy inflow of water from Sikkim, Bhutan and the hill catchment areas had severely affected several parts of North Bengal, including Mirik. He said the government was also considering long-term plans to tackle recurring floods and natural disasters in the region.
Mr Pramanik added that in case of excessive rainfall or any emergency situation in the hills, coordination would be maintained with the GTA authorities, while the NDRF would play a key role in disaster response operations. Vulnerable riverbank areas have already been identified and steps are being taken to shift residents living in risky zones to safer locations, he said.
The minister further said control rooms would be set up in every district, while the North Bengal development department would also operate a separate control room to monitor the situation during the monsoon season.