Najmool Haq called several times from Moghulhut town in Bangladesh’s Lalmonirhat district to say that his “real name” should not be disclosed as he crossed the border without papers to take shelter in a flood centre in Moghulhut town in north Bangladesh.
Moghulhut is about 15 minutes on foot from Mr. Haq’s village, Daribosh, located in the extreme north-eastern border of the State’s Cooch Behar district. In the middle of last week Mr. Haq, his two kids, wife and parents left the village as the river Dharla, about three km from his house, overflowed its banks and entered his village. The adjacent village Jaridhorla is also ‘entirely’ under water, he said.
“A few thousands from the two villages took shelter in the flood centre in Moghulhut’s Union Council flood centre. Many have also sought refuge in the houses of their relatives here,” Mr. Haq said. “We would all celebrate Independence Day in Bangladesh this year.”
Realising that Bangladesh has stepped up its machinery to accommodate the “few thousand” children, women and men from Cooch Behar, the Minister of North Bengal Development Department Rabindra Nath Ghosh thanked the Awami League-led government.
“Many thousands had to take shelter in Bangladesh and we are immensely thankful to the Government of the country for accommodating and feeding so many people without any fuss,” Mr. Ghosh said.
The entire north Bengal is reeling under the impact of incessant rain in both the plains and the hills. Both Siliguri city and Cooch Behar district are cut off from the rest of Bengal, while train services to both North East and north Bengal have been stopped. About a dozen people have lost their lives, the Minister said.