Mamata announces Rs 2,000 cr project to facilitate irrigation

Bankura: The state government has prepared a project worth Rs 2,000 crore to aid irrigation, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced here on Tuesday.

Addressing a public meeting in Bankura in connection with the distribution of various state government schemes to its beneficiaries on Tuesday afternoon, the Chief Minister said: "The money will be spent to repair the sluice gates and embankments and irrigation canals as well."

Banerjee further added: "Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) releases water to create floods but when the farmers require water to irrigate land, not a drop is released by the agency." She said the scheme will help the farmers to irrigate land and thereby increase the production of crops.

The Chief Minister also said that steps have been taken to address the scarcity of drinking water in Bankura. "During summer, drinking water is very scarce. Now, a scheme worth Rs 1,200 crore has been taken up and piped water will be supplied. Once completed, around 18 lakh people will get drinking water," she remarked.

The project is being carried out by the Public Health Engineering department. It may be mentioned that after coming to power in 2011, Banerjee had given special emphasis to resolve drinking water crisis in West Midnapore, Jhargram, Bankura, Purulia and Birbhum — the districts that reeled under severe drinking water crisis during summer.

In a fresh attack, she said the BJP has crossed all limits because of its arrogance and highhandedness. "They are trying to malign us by letting loose the Central agencies against us. We will never ever surrender and give in to their pressure tactics."

Banerjee urged the masses to vote for Trinamool candidates in the forthcoming Panchayat elections to carry on with the ongoing development projects. "For rural development, we must have the Panchayats under control and you should ensure that our candidates win." She maintained that no state in India has carried out so much development like Bengal despite the loan burden worth Rs 48,000 crore. "There would have been more development if we did not have to pay the interest on the loan which was taken by the CPI(M) government."

Banerjee inaugurated a slew of projects that included a 12-bed CCU at Bishnupur Super Specialty hospital and a fair price medical shop at Bishnupur block among others. She also laid the foundation stone for the construction of 28 new roads in different blocks, a hostel for girls, expansion of Raghunath Murmu Residential School building among others. She distributed scholarships among girls under the Kanyashree project and bicycles to the students under Sabuj Sathi project as well.