WB govt sanctions Rs 50 crore to control flood

Midnapore, Aug 21 (UNI) West Bengal Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta today sanctioned Rs 50 crore for the current fiscal to start two long-pending flood control projects.

Talking to mediapersons here during a review meeting on recent floods, Mr Dasgupta said the Ghatal and Keleghai-Kapaleswari masterplan would solve the flood problems in West Midnapore district.

The projects include widening of the Shilabati, Kangsabati, Keleghai and Kapaleswari river beds.

The silt, dug during the widening of the river beds, would be used to repair the irrigation embankments in the distict.

Assuring large scale employment for unskilled workers in the area, the Minister said the state government would bear up to 50 per cent of the project cost and the rest would be borne by the Centre under Bharat Nirman Project.

Mr Dasgupta along with state Relief Minister Mortaza Hussain and Civil Defence Minister Sree Kumar Mukherjee met the senior officers of the district administration and representatives of the political parties.

He also sanctioned Rs 1.10 crore for the district, which was worst hit in the second phase of flood.

Incessant rains over the past few days at the rate of 200 mm per day coupled with release of 1 lakh 60 thousand cusecs of water from Kangsabati dam, 1,50,000 cusecs from DVC and two lakh cusecs from Chandel river in Orissa had cast disaster in the area.

The floods have claimed seven lives so far, and more than 2,14,000 people were marooned, of which 47000 were rescued and kept at 173 relief camps in the district.

One column of Army with Airforce brigades from Kalaikinga have been working round the clock to improve the situation.

Mr Dasgupta also announced that a survey would be conducted by the Indian Statistical Institute in Kolkata to control flood.

He also declared a list of 2540 mouzas as flood affected areas in the district.

UNI