High-tide alert: CM directs dist admins to take precautions

Kolkata: With threat of another natural calamity with forecast of heavy high-tides in the state within a month after Cyclone Yaas, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday directed to take all necessary precautionary measures to avoid further damage of property and to ensure safety of people residing at riverine and coastal areas.

She has also stated that the state has faced more loss after Cyclone Yaas compared to that of super cyclone Amphan as more land went under heavy inundation this time. "In such a situation high-tide on June 11 and 26 would lead to a threatening situation," Banerjee said.

Stating that efforts are on to repair the damages caused to embankments during Cyclone Yaas at the earliest, Banerjee said: "At least 20,000 people have to be evacuated to take them to safe shelters to avoid loss of life. I understand that it is painful for the people residing in coastal areas to shift to cyclone and flood shelters leaving their houses twice in a month, but nature is in no one's hand. It has to be done to avoid loss of life during the high tide."

Banerjee, who repeatedly stated about use of flora and fauna to check damages of embank and coastal areas, have set up a 24-member committee headed by Chairman of West Bengal Pollution Control Board Kalyan Rudra and experts from different universities including Calcutta University, Jadavpur University and Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya to come up with a permanent solution to check damages caused by cyclone that now hits the state almost every year.

Banerjee has further stated that 317 breaches on embankment had taken place due to the cyclone. Repairing work at most of the places is going on and it would be completed by June 10 apart from at Maheshtala. Some of the damages at Mousuni Island and Sagar Island would take some more time to get completed. Accordingly precautionary measures needed to be taken. Stating that there are 175 vulnerable points, she directed to press quick response team to these areas. She further said that there are 63 gram panchayts in 14 blocks of East Midnapore, North and South 24-Parganas where still the places are under saline water. She directed to send medical teams at these places to avoid the spread of water-borne diseases.

She further stated that water should not be in reservoirs and dams without consultation with the state and a daily report on water level in rivers and rainfall should be sent to her. She also directed to appoint an engineer of the state Irrigation department to monitor the water level in reservoirs.

Banerjee, who had earlier sought reasons for embankments to get damaged within a few months of construction after supercyclone Amphan, has stated that from now onward "quality control measures" for reconstruction of embankments will get displayed along with photographs of the work undertaken or completed.

Mentioning that more than 1 lakh applications have been so far received under Duare Tran outreach programme, Banerjee directed the district magistrates and superintendents of police to ensure that no one should complaint about lack of relief materials.

She has also urged to increase the number of mandays under MGNREGA besides directing to expedite Swarna Dhan and Swarna Matsha programme where the places went under saline water.