'Ensure DVC do not release water without prior intimation to State'
Kolkata: With forecast of heavy rainfall for the next five days, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee directed the administration to ensure that the Damodar Valley
Corporation (DVC) does not release water without informing the state government as it may lead to flood like situation in some south Bengal districts.
In the same breath, the Chief Minister also directed all concerned officers to ensure safety of people by taking all necessary proactive steps as there were reports of embankments getting damaged even those were reconstructed after super cyclone Amphan.
"There is a forecast of heavy rainfall for five consecutive days. Proactive steps should be taken to avert any untoward incident and if necessary people should be evacuated to safe places. At this critical time of Covid, hospitals where there are possibilities of heavy inundation of water due to the rainfall should be identified with sufficient time in hand to take necessary steps before the situation turns worse," Banerjee said adding that there were reports of embankments getting damaged. It also includes those which were rebuilt after getting damaged in the cyclone.
"We have to be cautious while undertaking construction of embankments that it should not get damaged within such a short time after being built," Banerjee said after directing Naveen Prakash, Additional Chief Secretary of Irrigation and Waterways department, to prepare a plan of action with Khalil Ahmed, Principal Secretary of Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Department, to ensure proper cleaning of all canals.
The Chief Minister also stressed on the use of vetiver grass to avoid erosion along river banks.
She attacked the DVC authorities for not carrying out the necessary dredging work as it would have increased the capacity of storing water by another 2 lakh cusec as release of water from Jharkhand leads to flood like situation in districts including Howrah and Hooghly.
She took stock of the present situation at Bagnan, Uluberia and Amta in Howrah from the concerned Block Development Officers. This comes when the state government has dug 3.17 lakh ponds under its Jal Dharo Jal Bharo scheme that is helping in averting inundation of water at many places. "DVC must take permission from the state government before releasing water from its reservoirs," Banerjee said.
Stating that 8 lakh people were evacuated to flood centres at the time of cyclone Amphan, Banerjee directed the administration of districts including Howrah, Hooghly, Malda, Jalpaiguri, North and South 24-Parganas to ensure operation of round the clock control room besides close monitoring of the situation by BDOs and officers-in-charge of local police stations. She also directed to set up a team comprising senior officers to visit different districts in this connection.
