August 4, 2015
Working 24×7 to tackle calamity: WB CM
West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee on Monday visited flood-affected villages in Habra-Ashokenagar in North 24-Parganas to monitor relief work.
The West Bengal Chief Minister distributed relief material at Kajla primary school, where hundreds are taking shelter. Disaster management kits -including clothes, rice, potato, dal and puffed rice -were distributed to villagers from Bonbonia and Mohonpur.
The West Bengal Chief Minister said the government was working on a war footing, 24 hours a day, to provide relief. Mamata, in fact, stayed back at Nabanna till midnight on Sunday to monitor relief work from the control room.“We are trying our best to tackle this natural disaster. We will not beg anybody for help. The government stands beside the people. Our officers and workers have been working without rest,” she added.
“The BDOs have been asked to submit a list on how many have lost their houses and how many lost their crops so that we can reach out to everyone,“ the West Bengal Chief Minister informed. “Ministers have been sent to the districts to supervise relief work. The Government is giving Rs 4 lakh compensation to families of those killed and d Rs 2 lakh to the seriously injured. Many NGOs are also helping out.”
She said this was not the time for narrow politics.”Politics should not be done at a time when people are reeling from a natural calamity,” the West Bengal Chief Minister said.
At Nabanna, she said that DVC was worsening the crisis in Burdwan, Hooghly and Howrah. “I had asked DVC to go for modernization, but they are not doing it. Due to lack of dredging they are unable to hold water, otherwise DVC could have been able to retain 2 lakh cusec water. The release of DVC water is a major concern when Jharkhand barrages are also releasing water due to heavy rain,“ she said, adding that she will hold video conference with DMs of Burdwan, Hooghly, Birbhum, Howrah, West Midnapore, South and North 24-Parganas and Murshidabad.
On Monday night she made calls to the officials every one and half hours to know the situation.
