Voice 9, Kolkata Bureau: CM Mamata Banerjee, your strategy to deflect accountability is becoming increasingly stale and monotonous. Each year, as the monsoon approaches, you regurgitate the phrase "man-made flood," attempting to implicate the Central Government, the Jharkhand Government, and the DVC for the inundations plaguing West Bengal. However, the stark reality is that you, along with your Irrigation & Waterways Department, have exhibited a profound failure in your duties. You neither implement preventive measures nor take proactive steps to enhance the infrastructure necessary to mitigate this perennial crisis.
To my recollection, the World Bank sanctioned a substantial loan of Rs. 5000 crore to the West Bengal Government, earmarked for the construction and maintenance of vital irrigation structures—flood walls, river embankment fortification, desilting of adjacent rivers, establishment of small-scale storage facilities, creek rehabilitation, and canal excavation, all aimed at managing the flood predicament in the Lower Damodar Basin. Astonishingly, 75% of these funds have been disbursed. What, then, is the outcome? Each time Bardhaman, Bankura, Hooghly, Howrah, Paschim, and Purba Medinipur succumb to flooding, you seize the moment for a photo opportunity, arriving in a convoy of fifty vehicles while casting blame on others for your own ineptitude.
The populace is weary of your public relations campaign. It is imperative that you instruct your administration to extend genuine assistance to those in distress—organize provisions for infant nourishment, potable water, and dry rations. Evacuate individuals from inundated areas with utmost urgency. Set aside your pride and solicit aid from the Army and NDRF. For heaven's sake, during this critical juncture, refrain from diverting administrative resources to orchestrate your photo op. Allow them to focus on alleviating the suffering of the affected. You can fulfill your responsibilities more effectively with the Secretariat.
Input and Photo: ANI
