Subhechcha Ganguly 
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday came down heavily on the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) for releasing massive volumes of water from its reservoirs, triggering repeated floods in several parts of West Bengal. She claimed that since June 18, DVC has discharged 27,000 lakh cubic metres of water into Bengal’s rivers, severely affecting low-lying areas, including Ghatal block in Paschim Medinipur district.
Chairing a high-level meeting at the state secretariat to review the flood-like situation, Banerjee accused the power utility of prioritising its own safety while ignoring the impact on downstream regions. She alleged that her government’s repeated pleas to be consulted before water is released from reservoirs like Maithon and Panchet in neighbouring Jharkhand have been ignored.
“We have been fighting this problem for the last 14 years, yet there’s been no positive outcome. The DVC continues to release water indiscriminately during peak monsoon, and the Centre’s control over it is not yielding results,” Banerjee said.
