Centre’s apathy, political blame game mask need for DVC funding & dredging solutions
Kolkata: Uncontrolled water release by the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), coupled with inadequate storage capacity and reservoir sedimentation, leads to flooding in South Bengal nearly every monsoon. The Damodar River, often called the “Sorrow of Bengal,” continues to bring hardship to the people of the region. Each time the lower Damodar basin floods, it sparks a political blame game between the Bengal government and the Centre. However, the root cause runs deeper than it seems. The Centre’s longstanding neglect in allocating funds for the DVC to conduct dredging has exacerbated the situation. As a result, several districts in Bengal face severe flooding when the DVC releases excess water from its dams in Jharkhand. According to highly-placed sources within the DVC, the corporation has repeatedly appealed to the Union Finance Ministry for funds to carry out essential dredging and desilting operations. However, the Centre has consistently shown a step-motherly attitude towards the Damodar Valley region.
The DVC emphasised that dredging is a critical issue requiring substantial financial resources, but it has been ignored. Recently, Union Power minister Manohar Lal suggested exploring the equity market to generate funds for expansion, shrugging the responsibilities of the Centre. Sources said that after the DVC came into existence, Meghnad Saha in 1943-44 advised that the region required 7 dams. However, in the past 75 years since Independence only 4 dams came up that too in the early 50’s. Moreover, Centre’s apathy in allocating funds for dredging has been putting thousands of lives at risk every year. The water-holding capacity of DVC dams is decreasing every year. When the water level reaches a certain point, the DVC has to release water. Initially, the Centre and participating state governments, Jharkhand and Bengal, were supposed to provide funds. After 1968, the Bengal government stopped providing funds to the DVC, insisting that the Centre should address these issues. When the DVC requested financial support, the Centre responded by advising the corporation to develop new plans in the power sector to increase its revenues.
The DVC initiated several power projects, and even during Pranab Mukherjee’s tenure as Union Finance minister, he advised the corporation to issue bonds to generate revenue. However, the current government has completely ignored the DVC’s appeals for financial support, leaving the Damodar Valley region feeling neglected and abandoned. Sources said that DVC has been appealing to the Centre to hold carrying out dredging and desiltation but no significant steps have been taken yet. Policy analysts and experts on the other hand have pointed out that to resolve the issue a Prime Ministerial-level meeting must be held with the participation of all the stakeholders going beyond the political blame game.
