TMC leaders demand immediate steps to prevent land erosion
Malda: Malda district Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders, including Sabina Yeasmin, minister of State for Irrigation, and Abdur Rahim Boxi, district president of the party along with other MLAs from both Malda and Murshidabad served a memorandum on the erosion of Ganga River in the region, to the General Manager (GM) of Farakka Barrage Project (FBP) Authority on Monday.
The TMC delegation also staged a protest before the office of the GM, protesting against the alleged lackadaisical attitude of the Union government.
Abdur Rahim Boxi even threatened to shut down all Central government offices if no action was taken immediately against the growing threat of erosion.
A total of seven demands have been raised through the memorandum which include anti-erosion work to be done along the bank of Ganga in both Malda and Murshidabad, compensation and rehabilitation of the victims, dredging of Ganga, handing over surplus and abandoned areas to the state by the FBP.
Boxi said: “Mr GM, if the Central government thinks that protest and the submitting of the memorandum is the end to the issues, then you are mistaken. I have seen houses being swallowed up by the Ganga. I have witnessed the tears of mothers. I have seen thousands of people suffering from erosion. If we are swept away by the river, then the GM must accompany us too. If the houses of our people are destroyed, then the houses of BJP leaders will also not be spared by the turbulent waters. No one will be left out. Even after this deputation, if no action is taken by the Central government to prevent the erosion of Ganga, then all the Central government offices will be shut down in the district.”
Minister Sabina Yeasmin added: “Even after this, if there is no sincere effort on the part of the Central government to check erosion, there will be a continuous mass movement from November 1.”
RD Deshpandey, GM of FBPA, said: “After receiving the memorandum, I held a discussion with them. A committee has been formed with the officials of Bihar, Jharkhand and Bengal to work on ways to prevent erosion. A permanent solution to the problem of erosion will also be sought.”
