TMC MP: ‘Raised issue of erosion in Bengal several times…to no avail’

How big is the problem?

This is a major issue in Malda, particularly the areas through which the Ganga flows. The people of the region have been suffering for ages and we have been requesting the Union Ministry of Water Resources to take remedial measures. During monsoons, lakhs of people are displaced annually due to floods in the region which submerge houses, farms and orchards.

Have you raised this matter before?

I have raised it several times before, both inside and outside Parliament. I raised it even when I was a Lok Sabha MP. I met officials at the ministry as well as the Farakka Barrage, under whose purview the affected areas come. But to no avail.

How many people are affected due to the erosion and floods?

The numbers are in lakhs. And people from backward communities are disproportionately affected by the issue as the low-lying areas that are flooded and being washed away are inhabited by the financially weak. At least four to five blocks are majorly affected. The house of a former BJP MLA of the area was also washed away a few years back.

What is the state government doing?

The state government has limited powers in this case as the affected areas come under the direct purview of Farakka Barrage, which comes under the Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India. But it does as much as it can in terms of providing relief. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee raised the matter recently as well, calling for a permanent solution.

What can be a solution?

I feel an embankment can be a permanent solution. Because an embankment helped prevent floods to some extent in the case of Mahananda, which also flows through the region