28 dead in flood, no problem if DVC HQ is shifted from Bengal: Mamata

KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said the Centre is welcome to shift the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) headquarters from Kolkata if it wants, asserting that she is not in favour of an organisation, which released water leading to the "death of 28 people", to stay in the state.

Banerjee’s comment came when several districts of the state’s southern part were inundated following release of water from dams managed by the DVC which functions under the Centre's Ministry of Power.

"Let them (Centre) take it (DVC) away. I do not care. They have removed everything from Kolkata and there is nothing left. They keep a building (DVC headquarters) in Kolkata, but will not listen to Kolkata and keep on releasing water inundating Bengal and killing people,” she said.

The chief minister said that 28 people lost their lives in the flood and the state government has paid a compensation of Rs two lakh to each of the victim's families.

“We do not want an organisation that releases water and kills people. DVC was set up to protect people from floods," said Banerjee who is on an official visit to Birbhum, one of the districts affected by large-scale inundation.

She held the central government responsible for releasing water from the dams controlled by the DVC.

“The capacity (of DVC dams) has come down to the level of roads... Dredging has not taken place for the last 20 years,” she said.

Banerjee recently sent two back-to-back letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging his intervention in the flood situation and release of funds.

She has been claiming that the floods were primarily man-made, resulting from the unnecessary release of water by the DVC from its dams.

The union power ministry said that all norms were followed while releasing water from the DVC dams, denying accusations by the CM that the water discharge was responsible for flooding in the state.

On Sunday, two officials from the West Bengal government resigned from the Board of the Damodar Valley Reservoir Regulation Committee (DVRRC).

Established in 1948, the DVC is an integrated power major spread across a command area of 24,235 sq km in West Bengal and Jharkhand.

The state government has claimed that the floods have affected districts of Purba and Paschim Bardhaman, Birbhum, Bankura, Howrah, Hooghly, and Purba and Paschim Medinipur.

Meanwhile, Banerjee said that the administration would soon repair the roads damaged by the flood.

She also directed the MLAs to utilise their funds to repair the roads and instructed the Panchayat & Rural Development department to assess the affected houses.

Banerjee announced that her government would allocate funds to construct 11 lakh pucca houses, including those damaged by the present floods.

The CM again on Tuesday said that the flood-affected farmers would be compensated for their losses.

"The work of rural roads will be done from the legislative funds. The dilapidated schoolhouse will also be renovated," the chief minister said.

She added that the state government is also distributing dry food to the affected people.

The state government will repair or reconstruct the collapsed houses, the chief minister said.