Mamata accuses DVC of ‘reckless’ release of 1.5 lakh cusecs of water

Kolkata: Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday accused the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) of releasing for releasing 1,50,000 cusecs of water “recklessly and without prior intimation” to the state government, and slammed the central PSU for what she termed a “deliberate ploy” to create a flood-like situation in south Bengal districts during the Durga Puja festivities.

In a post on X , Banerjee stated: “The latest update on the unilateral and wilful release of water by DVC is that they have by the evening today released more than 150,000 cusecs of water from Maithon and Panchet dams etc to flood our West Bengal during festival times.”

Accusing the DVC of deliberately creating a flood-like situation in South Bengal districts during festivals, Banerjee, in a strongly worded social media post, described the release of water as “reckless” and “shameful”, saying it had put “millions of lives in Bengal in immediate peril”.

She added: “This is a deliberate ploy to unleash disaster on us in order to inflict pains on millions when they are still busy in the Pujas. Shameful, intolerable, unacceptable! We protest!”

Sources in the state government said that chief secretary Manoj Pant sought a report from the irrigation department and vulnerable districts as soon as DVC started releasing water. The Chief Minister had earlier lashed out at the DVC as well for releasing water.

Banerjee said the people of West Bengal were not allowed to conclude their festival in peace. “Bijoya Dashami marks the close of Durga Puja — a time for joy, cheer and renewed hope. This reckless act is nothing short of an attempt to inflict misery during our sacred festivities. Such unilateral action is shameful and absolutely unacceptable. By releasing water without intimation, the DVC has placed millions of lives in Bengal in immediate peril,” she said.

Calling it a “disaster manufactured by the DVC”, Bengal Chief Minister reiterated that it is not a natural calamity. She also made it clear that her government will tolerate this. “Let me be clear: I will not allow anyone to carry out a Bisarjan of Bengal. Every conspiracy against our people will be resisted with full force. Truth will prevail over deceit and good will triumph over evil. Joy Maa Durga!”

District administrations of East and West Midnapore, East and West Burdwan, Hooghly, Howrah, and Bankura have been put on high alert and asked to monitor vulnerable riverbank zones

Meanwhile, the IMD has issued an alert for heavy to very heavy rain in some districts of south Bengal, including Birbhum, West Midnapore, Purulia, Bankura, East Burdwan, West Burdwan, and Murshidabad.

“The depression over interior Odisha is very likely to move initially in a north-northwest direction and then in a north direction across Chhattisgarh and gradually weaken into a well-marked low pressure during the next 24 hours,” said an IMD bulletin on Friday.

“Rainfall is continuing in Jharkhand, leading to discharge there. Water from nearby rivers and streams is also flowing into the Damodar, pushing up its level. Hence, the discharge from Durgapur Barrage has been increased,” an official is learnt to have said.