Despite Approval For Investment, No Money Has Been Allocated For The Bengal Flood Management Program

The West Bengal government has yet to implement the “Ghatal Master Plan,” a massive flood management scheme that intends to significantly reduce annual floods for residents of West Bengal’s Midnapore and the low-lying villages of Ghatal.

The program has not received funding from the Ministry of Jal Shakti despite receiving approval for investment clearance.

Inquiries about the Ghatal Master Plan’s present progress and if the government has authorized any funding for the project to be paid for by the Jal Shakti minister have been made by Deepak Adhikari alias Dev to the Union Minister of State for Water Resources.

At its 136th meeting on June 6, 2018, the advisory committee of the Department of Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation under the Ministry of Jal Shakti considered the Paschim Medinipur and Purba Medinipur districts and approved the plan due to its techno-economic viability at an estimated cost of Rs. 1,238.95 crore.

The Ministry of Jal Shakti’s Department of Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation are in charge of providing technical guidance, review, approval, and monitoring for major/medium irrigation, flood control, and multipurpose projects. Additionally, it is in charge of creating flood management master plans for the Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers as well as giving government financial support for a few state initiatives in unique circumstances.

The Ghatal Master Plan calls for dredging riverbeds and bolstering embankments along 10 of Midnapore’s major rivers, including the Rupnarayan, Shilabati, and Kansabati, which swell during the monsoon and result in floods. It also calls for dredging some canals in the Purba and Paschim Medinipur districts.

News Mania Desk