Irrigation dept asks district authorities to lend hand in checking flood-like situations

Kolkata: With a thrust to ensure that people do not suffer due to inundation of water from heavy rainfall, the state Irrigation department has directed authorities of all the districts to immediately pass information of any work that needs to be carried out to check flood-like situations.

This comes at the time when the state Irrigation department has already taken up nine different projects to ensure better flood management.

Saumen Mahapatra, the state Irrigation minister, said: "Steps have been taken so that people do not face any problem during heavy rainfall."

He further said that he has held meeting with senior officials of his department to discuss issues related to the cleaning of canals, to ensure that water from the city recedes fast. An additional 40 temporary pumping systems have been installed at different locations, besides augmenting the capacity of the existing 11, to drain out water from the city as early as possible.

At the same time, the top brass of the state Irrigation department is monitoring the ongoing cleaning work of the 938 km long Bagjola Canal, Tolly Nullah, Beliaghata Canal, Kestopur Canal and other waterbodies.

At the same time, the nine major projects that have been taken up, include repairing of the embankment of river Hooghly near Mayapur Barud Ghar, repairing of embankments at the river at Pujali palpara, Kalipur and Keoratala to Rajarampur.

A project has also been taken up to clean Bhabanipur Canal from Sifalberia to Bhabanipore in Diamond Harbour and construction of a wooden bridge over Keorapukur Canal.

Initiatives have been taken up so that the work is carried out as early as possible, for people to get its benefit this monsoon itself.

The state Irrigation department held a high level meeting with authorities of all the districts. The district magistrates and sabhadipatis have been requested to pass information as soon as they get to know that some work needs to be carried out and the department will be taking up projects without any delay.

The step has been taken as the district authorities get the information which the officials of the department may skip.