Floods receding: rescue work continues

CALCUTTA, OCT. 1. The overall flood situation in West Bengal improved further today with major rivers receding. Official sources said altogether 765 bodies had so far been recovered, while 232 more were feared to have been washed away by the flood waters in nine affected districts.

With Army jawans continuing a round-the-clock rescue operation, the State Government stepped up relief measures for about 18 million people, many of whom remained marooned in the inaccessible areas.

Sources said despite an overall improvement, the situation still remained critical in Bagdah, Bongaon, Gaighata, Swarupnagar and few other areas of North 24 Parganas, where the swollen rivers from Bangladesh were carrying in water. The situation in some parts of Nadia, Bardhaman and Murshidabad also remained grim.

Sources said some six million people had been rescued and lodged in 6,000 relief camps and added that 1.5 million houses were damaged in the current floods.

meanwhile, a North 24 Parganas report said almost all political parties involved in the rescue and relief operations thronged on the sub-divisional flood control demanding more relief materials, particularly food, water and medicines, for the district's affected people.

The West Bengal Relief Minister, Mr. Satyaranjan Mahato, and senior administrative and police officials, including the Superintendent of Police, Mr. Kuldiep Singh, and the SDO of Bongaon, Mr. Milan Pramanik, had a tough time explaining to the deputationists about the overall situation under which the rescue and relief operations continued for a week.

The district authorities and other organisations had a hard time to combat with more than seven lakh hungry flood victims rescued from Bagdah, Bongaon and Gaighata areas. Bagdah still remained under six to 13 feet of water at different places. A SDO control spokesman said no relief material could be sent to several places in Bagdah block, as communication has been affected. Stocks of foodgrains in Bongaon godowns have submerged in water.

About 300 jawans with 40 boats continued rescue operations from far-flung areas while a BSF battalion with speed boats was pressed into service in Swarupnagar, Baduria and different villages under the Bashirhat sub-division to rescue the marooned people.

With the rise of water in Icchamati and its tributaries, Yamuna and Padma, fresh areas were inundated in Habra, Gobordanga and Machlandapur. Lakhs of people were still without shelter, sources said, and added that though there was no further report of casualties, at least 20 people had been admitted to different hospitals due to snake bites.

A severe calamity: Nitish

Meanwhile, the Union Agriculture Minister, Mr. Nitish Kumar, on Saturday described the current floods in the State as a ``severe calamity'' and said that help at the national level was required to cope with the situation.

``I do feel it is a severe calamity and needs national-level help,'' Mr. Kumar, who made an aerial survey of the flood-hit Nadia, Burdwan, Murshidabad and North 24-Parganas districts, told newsmen after a meeting with the Chief Minister, Mr. Jyoti Basu.

Stating that damages in the affected areas had been severe, he said the Centre had released its share of 75 per cent of the Rs. 101 crores allottable to the State to cope with calamities as recommended by the 11th Finance Commission.

On the State Government's demand for Rs. 962 crores from the National Calamity Relief Fund, Mr. Kumar said he would convey the demand to the Prime Minister and any decision on this would have to be taken by the Ministries concerned.

Asked to comment on the Railway Minister, Ms. Mamata Banerjee's claim that the floods were man-made, he said, ``I am not the competent person to answer this.

As per reports given to my Ministry, the floods were caused by heavy rains coupled with water release from the barrages. If there is any human error in this, it has to be enquired into''.

The Minister declined to comment on Ms. Banerjee's claim that the State Government had failed to properly utilise central funds for flood relief.

- UNI, PTI

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