‘Will chalk out elaborate plans to control floods’

Holding Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) responsible for the flood, she said it had failed to retain water in its dams because of lack of maintenance. Vast areas in Burdwan district are inundated every year due to the water that is released from the dams of DVC. She held the administrative meeting on Friday afternoon with senior officials of the district. State Panchayat and Rural Development 

Minister Subrata Mukherjee, chief secretary Basudeb Banerjee and the Director General of Police Surajit Kar Purakayastha were also present at the meeting.

Friday was the concluding day of her three-day tour to the districts. She held administrative meetings in Purulia and Birbhum districts on August 3 and 4 respectively. Asked when the state government would bifurcate Burdwan district, she said the process was on and the permission of the Calcutta High Court would be required. She laid the foundation stone of 23 projects.

The Chief Minister said the state government would renovate the crematoriums in the rural areas under the project which she named Baitarani. She said while touring in the rural areas she had often found half burnt dead bodies. “This is not proper. The deceased should be shown proper respect,” she maintained. 

Earlier, she had announced Samabyathi project by which those who failed to cremate their near and dear ones could approach the state government and Rs 2,000 would be given to them for cremation. The state government has also taken steps to maintain and beautify the burial grounds.

Misti Bangla will come up in Burdwan district. Sitabhog and Mihidana of Burdwan and Langcha of Shaktigarh have become internationally famous and both domestic and foreign tourists on their way to various areas touching Burdwan buy these products. The quality of the sweets will improve and they will be manufactured in more hygienic way and there will be improved facilities like online purchase of sweets.

Banerjee instructed the district administration to keep an eye on the areas in Raniganj where subsidence take place quite frequently causing serious threat to lives and property. All the small and medium industries will be brought under one umbrella.

Under Sabujshree scheme, lakhs of tree saplings will be planted by the state Forest department to increase the green cover of the district.

The Chief Minister also launched a new portal  Egiye Bangla which will provide all information related to the government and e-services.

The new portal will not only provide information of all departments to citizens, but will also provide opportunity for making financial transactions, officials said.

The portal will provide e-services of various kinds, tender information, contacts of state departments and their officials, citizen’s welfare initiatives, tourism etc.