State Parl Affairs Min gets charge to liaison between state & Centre

Kolkata: Speaker of Bengal Legislative Assembly, Biman Banerjee asked state Parliamentary Affairs minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay to take up with the Centre the issue of constituting the India-Bhutan River Commission for addressing the perennial issue of flood in North Bengal in the backdrop of several rivers of Bhutan flowing through there.

A resolution regarding the constitution of the India-Bhutan River Commission was passed in the Assembly in July. Addressing Chattopadhyay, the Speaker said: “The Chief Minister had proposed sending a delegation from the state Assembly. I will urge you to take the initiative and speak with the Chief Minister and accordingly send a delegation to the Centre for addressing the issue. The Opposition may not be interested but you take the lead in this issue.”

During the ‘Calling Attention’ in the state Assembly, legislator Suman Kanjilal of Alipurduar flagged the issue. Manas Bhunia, state Irrigation and Waterways minister, said: “There is India-Bangladesh River Commission and India-Nepal River Commission but the Centre has not formed India-Bhutan River Commission. There are as many as 76 rivers of Bhutan that flow through North Bengal. Flash floods, erosion are occurring and dolomites are rolling down from the hills to the plains at great speed. The situation is becoming dangerous. Realising the gravity of the issue, the Chief Minister had proposed to send an all-party delegation from the state Assembly to Delhi but the BJP showed no interest in the issue. I doubt their (BJP MLAs) commitment to the people.”

Banerjee in the NITI Aayog meeting in July had raised the demand for the formation of the India-Bhutan River Commission in line with the India-Bangladesh River Commission in the presence of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.