July 8, 2019
Centre neglecting Bengal’s flood management projects
The State Irrigation and Waterways Minister informed the Assembly on Tuesday, July 2 that the Centre has stopped providing funds for flood management projects (FMP) in the districts of Purba Medinipur and Paschim Medinipur as well as in the Cyclone Aila-affected areas of North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas.
While answering a question during Question Hour, the minister said that despite the stoppage of funds, the State Government has used its own funds to carry out various FMPs in the two districts, including building embankments along the banks of the Keleghai-Kapaleswari-Bagai river system.
The Centre has not implemented the Ghatal Master Plan either, which again the State Government is implementing, informed the minister.
The State Government has allotted around Rs 307 crore for various FMPs in Ghatal, Daspur I, Daspur II and Egra blocks. As a part of the projects, as many as eight bridges have been constructed on rivers in the two districts.
Dredging of rivers is also underway in various districts, including Birbhum and Bankura. The State Government has carried out work on embankments of rivers measuring around 34.62km at an approximate cost of Rs 70 crore last year, the minister informed.
He also pointed out that dams have been set up along 106km in the Sundarbans and work has been going on along a stretch of 25km.
Another piece of information provided by the minister yesterday in the Assembly was the fact that after coming to power, the Trinamool Congress Government has increased the amount of irrigable land by more than 36.22 lakh hectares.
Source: Millennium Post
