About 76 Bhutan-origin rivers wreak havoc in North Bengal; Min urges Centre to act

Alipurduar: Bengal Irrigation minister Manas Bhuniya has expressed deep concern over the growing threat posed by rivers flowing from Bhutan into North Bengal. During a field inspection in Alipurduar on Thursday, the minister reiterated the state’s long-standing demand for the formation of an Indo-Bhutan River Commission, lamenting the Central government’s inaction despite repeated appeals. “A total of 76 rivers from Bhutan wreak havoc in North Bengal, especially Alipurduar, during the monsoon,” Bhuniya said. “While the Indo-Nepal River Commission exists, there has been no effort from the Centre to establish a similar mechanism with Bhutan. Despite the Chief Minister writing to the Prime Minister at least ten times, no steps have been taken. Even during the Prime Minister’s recent visit to Alipurduar, the issue was completely ignored.”

The minister arrived in Alipurduar on Wednesday night to assess flood preparedness. On Thursday, he chaired a high-level meeting at the circuit house with officials from the Irrigation Department, the district administration, police, and public representatives. Following the meeting, Bhuniya visited the embankment along the Shisamara River in Alipurduar Block I, a stretch known to pose serious flood risks. He inspected a 340-meter portion of the embankment and interacted with local residents, who urged that the entire 1-kilometre stretch be renovated.

In response, the minister directed Krishnendu Bhowmik, Chief Engineer of the Irrigation Department’s North-East Division, to work with the district administration and prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) on the full renovation. Bhuniya also criticised the Centre for allocating only Rs 402 crore to West Bengal for river-related works, calling the amount “grossly inadequate.” He said the state plans to undertake dredging operations through the West Bengal Mineral Development and Trading Corporation Limited (WBMDTCL) to improve river navigability and mitigate flood risks in North Bengal. “Except for the Teesta, no other river has received dredging clearance in the Dooars region,” he added. The minister further addressed a long-standing administrative gap in Alipurduar. Even 11 years after becoming a separate district, Alipurduar still lacks independent divisions for the Agri-Irrigation and Agri-Mechanical departments, forcing continued reliance on Jalpaiguri. However, Bhuniya assured that dedicated divisions will be set up soon. This assurance was given to Anup Das, Karmadhakshya of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Cooperation at Alipurduar Zilla Parishad. After concluding his Alipurduar visit, the minister proceeded to the Changmari area in Jalpaiguri district to inspect the Teesta River embankment.