Latest news with #GhatalMasterPlan
The Hindu
24-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Two lakh people affected by Ghatal floods, thousands evacuated: West Bengal Minister
The West Bengal Minister for Irrigation and Waterways, Manas Ranjan Bhunia, said earlier this week that nearly 2,00,000 people have been affected by the floods in Ghatal, Paschim Medinipur district, and roughly 2,000 people have been evacuated by the State. Ghatal and adjoining areas like Garbeta and Chandrakona in Paschim Medinipur district are flood prone. The floods were caused by heavy rainfall and the release of water from reservoirs, which led the Silabati and Dwarakeshwar rivers to break their banks. This year too, severe damage has been caused to residential areas, roads, and agricultural land in parts of Paschim Medinipur, Howrah, Hooghly, and Bankura districts following heavy rainfall and the release of water by the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) last week. The Minister said the flood crisis in Ghatal has been 'the worst since 1978,' and over 100 villages have been affected. Two persons drowned, Mr. Bhunia confirmed, adding that the flood is receding now. Centre delayed funds He also reiterated his grievances against the Centre for allegedly not releasing funds for the 'Ghatal Master Plan' — a flood management initiative by the West Bengal government to improve conditions in the low-lying flood-prone areas of Paschim Medinipur and Purba Medinipur districts. However, on Tuesday (June 24, 2025), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused the Trinamool of not implementing the project despite the sanction of funds by the Centre. 'GOI had already sanctioned ₹1,200 crore for the project back in 2022, which was later increased to ₹1,500 crore. As per the agreement, 60% of the funding was to come from the Centre and 40% from the state,' BJP leader Dilip Ghosh said. CM accused of apathy He accused the Mamata Banerjee government of 'negligence, apathy, and incapability' in executing the Ghatal Master Plan. Notably, responding to a question by Ghatal's Trinamool MP Dev Adhikari in December 2023, the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti said that while the Government of India accorded investment clearance for the project in 2022, 'No funds have been provided by the Central Government as the project has not been included for funding as part of any scheme of the Ministry of Jal Shakti.' On Tuesday (June 24, 2025), BJP MLA Hiranmoy Chattopadhyaya wrote to the Prime Minister urgently requesting relief assistance for the flood-affected people of Ghatal. 'On 22nd June, I personally visited the affected areas in Ghatal and was devastated to witness that there were no rescue boats, no proper arrangements, nor any effective intervention on the ground from the concerned authorities… State government has failed to act adequately or responsibly,' he wrote in his letter.
The Hindu
23-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
TMC accuses Centre of not releasing funds for Ghatal flood management plan
As several wards of Ghatal municipality in Paschim Medinipur lay submerged due to excessive rainfall in the last several days, the West Bengal Government blamed the Union Government for not releasing funds for the Ghatal Master Plan. The Ghatal Master Plan is a comprehensive flood management scheme by the West Bengal government, aimed particularly at the flood-prone areas in Purba Medinipur and Paschim Medinipur. The Detailed Project Report was sent to the Ganga Flood Control Commission under the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti in December 2014, according to the West Bengal government. The project remains incomplete. Meanwhile, like most years, this year too, places including Ghatal and Garbeta in Paschim Midnapore district, and certain areas of Bankura, Hooghly, and Howrah districts have been flooded due to excessive rain and the release of water from reservoirs, leading to a surge in local rivers. Despite extensive relief efforts by the West Bengal government, including rescue operations and flood shelters, two people reportedly lost their lives due to drowning in the flood-hit Ghatal area last week. Thousands had to be evacuated from their homes, and considerable damage has been incurred in agricultural lands, homes, and roads. Amidst the ongoing flood crisis, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Trinamool Congress (TMC) waged a war of words over who was to be held accountable for the severe floods. Former BJP MP Locket Chatterjee took to social media on Sunday (June 22, 2025) and posted a video, reportedly from the Ghatal floods. 'The Ghatal Master Plan was supposed to be implemented by December 31, 2024. The image of 2025 is before the whole of West Bengal, including Ghatal,' Ms. Chatterjee said. A few days earlier, the BJP's State unit had also accused the Trinamool MP from Ghatal, Dev Adhikari, of being an 'absentee representative' in the face of the perpetual flooding crises. On Monday (June 23, 2025), the State government sharply retorted to Ms. Chatterjee's post alleging that the Union government had not sanctioned any funds for the Ghatal Master Plan till date, despite the State sending a formal proposal of inclusion under the Central Flood Management and Border Area Programme funding scheme in June 2022. 'In 2014, the Indian government came under the leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Ms. Chatterjee, you were also an MP. But did you appeal to the Union government or to the Prime Minister to provide money for the Ghatal Master Plan, along with your party MPs? You did not,' Manas Ranjan Bhuiyan, West Bengal Minister for the Irrigation and Waterways Department, said on Monday (June 23, 2025). He added that in the State Budget for the 2025-26 financial year, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had approved the Ghatal Master Plan project of ₹1,500 crore, of which ₹500 crore had been allocated this time. Meanwhile, State authorities, in an official statement from the Irrigation and Waterways Department on Monday (June 23, 2025), said that work was in progress for the Ghatal Master Plan and that it was expected to be completed by March 2027. 'The work of construction of five sluices has already started in the field from February, 2025 with the current progress at around 60-70%. The dredging of Chandreswar Khal is almost completed. The works of two pump houses in Ghatal [Municipality] is going to start soon as work orders have been issued. The tenders for dredging of Silabati river, Old Cossye, Tamal, Parang, Buri Ganga, Solatopa, Old Solatopa channels of total length around 75 km have been floated,' the Irrigation and Waterways Department's statement said.
The Hindu
21-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Flood-like situation in South Bengal as rain, DVC water release raise river levels
Continuous rainfall over the past several days, combined with the release of water by the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), has caused a sharp rise in river levels across several southern districts of West Bengal, leading to flood-like conditions in large parts of the region. Flooding has been reported in Garbeta, Chandrakona, and Ghatal in Paschim Midnapore district, and in areas of Bankura, Hooghly, and Howrah. Several houses, roads, and agricultural fields remain submerged, while rain-fed rivers such as the Silabati have witnessed a marked increase in water levels. In Ghatal, local authorities have introduced boat services to facilitate access to essentials like food and medicines. Relief camps have been set up in the affected districts by the State government, with evacuation and rescue operations underway. Teams from the State Disaster Response Force and the National Disaster Response Force have been deployed to assist. 'We, along with the district administration, are inspecting the shelter homes and rescue operations. Efforts are being made to ensure there is not a single loss of life. We have also conducted a drone survey of the area to identify and quantify the amount of damage caused,' said Dhritiman Sarkar, Superintendent of Police, Paschim Midnapore. Irrigation and Waterways Minister Manas Bhunia stated that the administration is monitoring the situation closely, particularly in Garbeta-I, Garbeta-II, and Chandrakona blocks. 'We have not received any support from the Central government since 2015. They have not given a single paisa… We have been telling the Centre for the last 12 years that the capacity of these dams has gone down. They have not acted on the crisis, and have deprived West Bengal,' Mr. Bhunia said. On its official website, the DVC issued a flood warning on Saturday afternoon regarding the release of 60,000 cusecs of water from Maithon and Panchet dams. Floods of this nature are a recurring problem in South Bengal, causing widespread hardship among farming-dependent communities. Last year, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had termed the floods 'premeditated and man-made,' criticising the DVC for excess water release and the Centre for failing to undertake timely dredging of dams. In the 2025–2026 State budget, the government announced a fresh allocation of ₹500 crore for the Ghatal Master Plan, a comprehensive flood management initiative aimed at improving conditions in the low-lying, flood-prone areas of the region.
