Centre refuses funds for ‘Ghatal Master Plan’, says project not under any scheme of Ministry of Jal Shakti

KOLKATA: At a time when the state government has been pursuing the Centre to clear funds for various projects in Bengal, the BJP-led Central government clarified that it will not provide any funds for the ‘Ghatal Master Plan’ to address the flooding of River Silabati since “the project was not included for funding under any scheme of Ministry of Jal Shakti”.

Every monsoon the Silabati River swells up causing floods in the Ghatal sub-division in the West Midnapore district.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has raised the issue of funds for the project with the Centre repeatedly.

The Centre was initially supposed to bear 75 per cent of the project cost but later proposed that the state should reportedly bear 40 per cent of the cost.

This month, questions were raised in the Parliament surrounding what action the Centre was taking concerning the flooding issue in the Ghatal sub-division. To this, the minister of state for Jal Shakti, Bisweshwar Tudu began by informing the Parliament that “flood management, including erosion control, falls within the purview of the state and that the Union government supplements the efforts of the state by providing technical guidance and promotional financial assistance for the management of flood in critical areas”.

Tudu said that the Phase-I of the flood management project in East and West Midnapore districts was considered by the Advisory Committee of Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR, RD & GR) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti in its 136th meeting held in June 2018. It was accepted for its techno-economic viability at an estimated cost of Rs. 1,238.95 crore (price level 2017).

However, he added: “Subsequently, based on recommendations of the Investment Clearance Committee of DoWR, RD & GR in its 17th meeting held on June 10, 2022, the project has been accorded investment clearance. No funds have been provided by the Centre as the project has not been included for funding under any scheme of the Ministry of Jal Shakti.”

As per the detailed project report, the time for the execution of the ‘Ghatal Master Plan’ is three years.