Estimated loss due to floods stands at Rs 14,000 cr: CM

Kolkata: The state government has sent a report containing estimated loss of the recent flood in both North and South Bengal to the Centre.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said while leaving Nabanna on Wednesday that a report on the estimated loss due to the flood has been sent to the Centre. "The estimated loss due to the flood in 11 districts stands at Rs 14,000 crore," she said.

According to an official posted in the state secretariat, Rs 1,500 crore was spent to give compensation and to fight the situation after any natural calamity in the past four years. But the Centre has not released any grant to support the state government in this regard.

Several times the top brass of the state government had written to the Centre but there was no positive response. But compensation packages were being announced for other states, the official said

adding that "even any representative was not being sent to the state by the Centre to take a stock of the situation during the flood".

It may be mentioned that the flood in both North and South Bengal took place due to heavy rainfall from August 12 to 15 and from July 21 to 26 respectively.

The flood in 11 districts had affected agriculture on around 10.67 lakh acre land and it led to a monetary loss of around Rs 7,000.

Without any delay, the state government had started providing all necessary support to the flood-affected farmers and according to the official, sowing of seeds in most of the flood affected areas in South Bengal is complete and it is going on in North Bengal as well with the situation developing gradually.

He said that seeds worth around Rs 10 crore has already been distributed. The official said despite the flood, there is nothing to panic considering that there will be less production of food crops. The target of rice cultivation this time is around 161 lakh tonne and it could be reached the official said.

According to the sources, around three lakh houses were completely damaged and around 55,000 were heavily damaged during the flood. There were more than 52,000 that were partly affected.

It may be recalled that in both North and South Bengal, the Chief Minister went to the heavily inundated areas and took stock of the situation.