March 25, 2025
Rajya Sabha MP Ritabrata Banerjee’s speech on The Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024
Sir, I rise today to speak on behalf of my Party, the All India Trinamool Congress. My first submission is that this Bill should have undergone pre-legislative consultation and thorough committee scrutiny as it directly impacts the life, the livelihood and security of 1.4 billion of our countrymen. In the 15th Lok Sabha, 2009-2014, seven out of ten Bills were sent to the committees for scrutiny. In the 17th Lok Sabha, 2019-2024, only two out of the ten Bills were sent for scrutiny. Now, in this Lok Sabha, only one out of ten Bills is sent for scrutiny. In the 17th Lok Sabha, nine out of ten Bills introduced in Parliament were marked by zero or incomplete consultations. In the 17th Lok Sabha, a total of 221 Bills were passed, more than one-third were hurried through with less than a sixty minute discussion. I am speaking, Sir. Let me speak. Sir, the larger concern here is of legislative… … The Union and Concurrent Lists under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution do not include entries related to disaster management. … While introducing the Bill in the Lok Sabha last year, the hon. Minister of Home Affairs stated that the Bill is derived from Entry 23 of the Concurrent List. Entry 23 pertains to social security, pertains to social insurance, pertains to employment and unemployment. Disaster management does not fall under the ambit of this entry. Where does the Government derive the authority to enact this legislation? Secondly, nearly two decades have passed since the enactment of the Disaster Management Act, yet this Bill fails to incorporate lessons learnt from its implementation. Let me give you two examples to prove my point. Number one, the Disaster Management Act establishes several authorities at Union, State and district levels. The Amendment Bill seeks to provide statutory status to pre-existing organizations such as the National Crisis Management Committee and a high level committee. Additionally, multiple corporations would come under the jurisdiction of the Urban Disaster Management Authority (UDMA) instead of the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA). Sir, now, a major concern of the Disaster Management Act has been the excessive centralization, especially on matter of funds. Severity of the disaster is not a criterion for prompt disbursal of funds. The Bill also fails to mention this. Our past experience has shown that you cannot strengthen authorities without necessary financial devolution. States are constantly left at the mercy of the Union Government. Let me explain. After Cyclone Bulbul in 2019-20, the Bengal Government requested close to Rs. 7,500 crores from the NDRF. We received only 13 per cent of the requested funds. Sir, I repeat. We demanded Rs. 7,500 crores. … … Only 13 per cent of the requested funds were received. Then, came Cyclone Amphan. Sir, 354 people died, 24,000 livestock lost, and over 5.6 lakh houses were damaged. We only got 6 per cent of the funds we demanded. For Cyclone Yaas, where 18 of our 23 districts were severely affected, and I repeat, Sir, in Cyclone Yaas, 18 of our 23 districts were severely affected, not a single rupee was disbursed by the NDRF. In the hon. Finance Minister’s Budget Speech last year, assistance measures were announced for Sikkim, Bihar, Assam, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. We are genuinely happy for those States. But, why is West Bengal left out again and again? The northern part of Bengal, including Jalpaiguri, Alipurduars, Darjeeling and Kalimpong face some of the worst floods every year. Transboundary waters from Bhutan are flooding the areas. Now, what is happening in the Northern part? According to the CAG Report, West Bengal suffered average annual damages worth almost Rs. 8,800 crores between 2013 and 2017. This was much higher than the All India average of the last 60 years – I repeat, Sir, much higher than the All India average of the last 60 years. Yet, the Union Government withheld funds and ignored the people of West Bengal. Let me say this on record, this trend of withholding funds to non-NDA States is a violation of our constitutional principles. You cannot combat Ms. Mamata Banerjee politically. You cannot combat Shri Abhishek Banerjee politically. You go on depriving the people of our State. … You are punishing our State. You are punishing the other States where you cannot win politically. You are choking the people simply because they did not vote for you. … On top of that, not a single rupee has been sanctioned for the Ghatal Master Plan, putting the lives of 17 lakh of our people in Paschim and Pubra Medinipur districts at serious risk. Despite the Union Government turning its back on the people of West Bengal, the State Government under the leadership of Ms. Mamata Banerjee has already completed 19 kilometer resuscitation of river bank, using its own resources. Now, Sir, I will come to some very important points. Since 2009, the Bengal Government has received only 7 per cent of the requested funds for disaster relief. I repeat, Sir, we have received only 7 per cent of the requested funds for disaster relief. The expenditure for Central Sector Schemes includes funds for Relief and Rehabilitation, Freedom Fighters’ Pensions and Disaster Management. The decrease has been to the tune of 40 per cent from the last year. In 2022, 25 lakh people were displaced due to climateinduced disasters. The aid that was provided for Cyclone Yaas, I have mentioned, was a big zero. This is a calculated decision to penalize the States run by non-BJP parties. The Disaster Management Bill, which you are bringing to Parliament, is also anti-federal. Our party wants this Bill to be examined by a parliamentary committee. Do not rush it like the Farm Laws. This is a request from us. In West Bengal, floods were triggered by the release of water from various reservoirs of the Damodar Valley Corporation without prior intimation to our State Government. These floods which were happening due to the release of water of DVC are completely man-made floods. These are man-made floods where our people are submerged in water. Now, these are man-made floods, and why did the Union Government not engage in dredging and desilting? The West Bengal State Government and our Disaster Management Department have enough infrastructure to manage rainfall. The Damodar Valley Corporation was set up as the first multi-purpose river valley project of independent India. During the floods in 2024 last year, I personally had the experience to be in a number of districts in Malda. Our M.P., Shrimati Mausam Noor hails from Malda. I have been to the other parts where devastating floods have been there. In 2024, we have the worst floods caused by the Damodar Valley Corporation’s release of water since 2009. Around five million people across thousand square kilometres were affected. This happened just before our biggest festival of Durga Puja. Even during Durga Puja, there were areas in Malda which were completely submerged under water. Why were you trying to drown the people of Bengal? We want to ask through you, Sir, as to why they were trying to drown the people of Bengal. Why did the Union Government unilaterally release such huge volumes of water without consulting the State Government concerned? This is not cooperative federalism. It is clear that when disaster strikes, creating multiple authorities will only make coordination harder. This will delay response efforts and ultimately put people at risk. What is baffling is that these provisions go against the very purpose of the Bill. That is why we are telling on behalf of our party, All India Trinamool Congress that Bill must be sent to the Committee on Home Affairs for a thorough scrutiny. Our hon. Chief Minister, Ms. Mamata Banerjee wrote letters to the hon. Prime Minister in the month of September. On 20th and 22nd September, 2024, the hon. Chief Minister of Bengal, Ms. Mamata Banerjee wrote two letters to hon. Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi on the flood situation in the State pointing out that all critical decisions to release water were made unilaterally by the representatives of the Central Water Commission (CWC) without arriving at a consensus. This was the second letter that our Chief Minister wrote to the Prime Minister in a span of two days. It was regarding the release of water from the reservoirs controlled by the Damodar Valley Corporation for inundation of large areas in south Bengal. Sir, through you, I would like to know from the Government under what conditions all critical decisions are made unilaterally by the representatives of the Central Water Commission, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India without arriving at a consensus. Sometimes, water releases take place even without any notice to the State Government, and the request and views of the State Government of West Bengal are completely ignored. At times, the peak releases from the reservoirs of DVC lasting for a prolonged period of nine hours are conducted with only three and a half hours’ notice. I repeat, you are releasing water for nine hours and only three and a half hours notice we are getting, which proves insufficient for effective disaster management. Now, I want to mention here that the Bengal Delta, which is a densely-populated region vulnerable to natural disasters, faces escalating climate calamities including tidal inundation, rising sea level and increased cyclonic activity, potentially displacing millions by 2050. This is the latest report that is arriving throughout the globe. Historically, the Bengal Delta also known as the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta, has been a region prone to natural calamities particularly, cyclones, severe thunderstorms and floods due to its low-lying flood prone nature and a typical location in the Bay of Bengal. The Bengal Delta is a vast, low-lying area where the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers flow into the Bay of Bengal, making it a highly vulnerable region to natural disasters. The delta’s river systems, including the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Padma and Meghna, all are prone to flooding. They are flowing into the Bay of Bengal. Especially, during the monsoon season, they are prone to flooding, leading to significant disruption and damage. Sir, I will mention and I will go to the pages of history as to why this Bengal delta is the most vulnerable one. It was the then GovernorGeneral of Bengal, Charles Canning, who desired to form a port in his own name. He was living, but he desired to have a city, a port in his own name. He named that city as ‘Canning’ on the Matla River. His name was Charles Canning and the port was named as ‘Port Canning’. Now, he did not listen to anybody. He said, “Port Canning will become an alternative to Singapore. His name will be there and his name will always be there.” Sir, what happened? There was a person, an Englishman, who had served in the Caribbean for a long time. His name was James Spidington. James Spidington had served in the Caribbean as an English Merchant Navy officer. He was staying in Calcutta. He wrote a series of letters to the Governor-General, Charles Canning. He cautioned Charles Canning that the delta river system, including Ganges, had a history of devastating natural disasters, such as the Hooghly River Cyclone of 1737, considered one of the deadliest natural disasters in history. He advised, “Don’t create this city, don’t create this port in your own name.” However, Charles Canning did not listen to his warning. And, in 1867, a disastrous cyclone ravaged the port city of Canning, leaving it a bleached skeleton. We must learn from history and heed the advice of those who understand. No, no, I am on the subject, Sir. Let me finish, Sir. I will speak on the subject, Sir. I will now come back to my first point. Let me remind the Union Government that when the Disaster Management Bill was introduced in this House in 2005, it was referred to the Committee on Home Affairs. The Committee took the time to gather comments from State and Union Territories, visited disaster affected areas and studied existing disaster laws across States. Now, we have an Amendment Bill coming after nearly two decades. And, in the backdrop of multiple civil disasters, this Bill fails to address the challenges we have. Sir, I crave your indulgence. I will take half-a-minute. This Bill does not reflect the challenges we have faced and the lessons we have learned over the last decades. Legislations are meant to serve the people and this House must not let the people of this country down. On behalf of my party, the All India Trinamool Congress, I demand that this Bill be sent to the Committee on Home Affairs for a detailed and thorough scrutiny. Thank you, Sir.
