Following CM's nudge, process to prepare report gains momentum

Kolkata: Following the direction of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee—to fast-track the process to prepare a report to be presented before the Centre and Niti Aayog next week for execution of three separate master plans, including the Ghatal Master Plan—top brass of the state Irrigation and Waterways department would be holding a high-level meeting on Friday.

Saumen Mahapatra, minister of the state Irrigation and Waterways department, would be heading the meeting though it is a holiday on Friday for Muharram.

"There would be a meeting on Friday in which we would assess the reports that would be submitted to the Centre and Niti Aayog next week. The reports are on the need for immediate execution of Ghatal Master Plan along with Digha Master Plan and Sunderbans Master Plan," said Mahapatra.

Initiatives have already been taken to fix an appointment with the Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Niti Aayog.

"But it is certain that we are meeting them in the next week itself," Mahapatra said.

It needs mention that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee directed the MLAs, ministers and MPs from the flood affected areas to visit New Delhi to take up the issue related to the delay in implementation of Ghatal Master Plan.

At the same time the last minute work to submit the report to the state secretariat on assessment of damage due to the recent flood by the special committee headed by Principal Secretary of Irrigation and Waterways department Prabhat Mishra is going on in full swing. The reports contain short term, mid-term and long term measures that need to be taken for restoration work at the flood affected areas.

"The efforts are on to submit the report by Friday," said a senior state government officer.

It was on August 11, a four-member team comprising senior officers of state Irrigation and Waterways department, Disaster Management Department, Agriculture department and Public Health Engineering department took stock of the flood affected areas in south Bengal districts to expedite the restoration work in a proper planned manner. They had visited Ghatal in West Midnapore and also took aerial surveys of areas including Khanakul and Arambagh in Hooghly and Amta and Udaynaraynpur in Howrah.