Kolkata, September 20 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday. In the letter, she said that the state government will cancel all agreements with the Damodar Valley Corporation, as many districts of South Bengal have been hit by floods due to the release of water by the corporation. The Chief Minister has said in the letter that 50 lakh people were affected by the floods in South Bengal. The central government should provide adequate assistance to help the affected people in this direction.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, Mamata Banerjee said, “I want to draw your attention to the fact that about five lakh cusecs of water has been released in an unplanned manner from Maithon and Panchet dams owned and maintained by Damodar Valley Corporation. Due to this, all the districts of South Bengal have been hit by severe floods. Due to this, the common people are facing a lot of trouble.”
He said in the letter, “If water is released unilaterally, the people of the state will have to face hardships. In such a situation, we will have to break all our contracts with DVC. We will be left with no option. We cannot let our people be affected in this way.”
Lower Damodar and surrounding areas have been hit by the biggest floods since 2009, affecting the lives of nearly 50 lakh people living in an area of more than 1,000 sq km. He blamed DVC for the floods and called it a man-made flood. The CM warned that the state government will completely disassociate itself from DVC and withdraw its partnership.
“I request you to consider the matter seriously and direct the concerned ministries to resolve these issues as a top priority, including sanctioning adequate central funds to act in the interest of those who are suffering the most,” the chief minister said in the letter.
–IANS
SHK/CBT
