The Bengal government has withdrawn its representatives on the Damodar Valley Reservoir Regulation Committee (DVRRC), even as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote a second time to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Damodar Valley Corporation’s uncontrolled water release from the Maithon and Panchet reservoirs. Miss Banerjee, in her missive to the Prime Minister, stated that in protest of the Centre’s actions, she is withdrawing the state’s representatives from the Damodar Valley Reservoir Regulation Committee (DVRRC).
Accordingly, two top state officials have resigned from the DVC Board and the DVRRC. Shantanu Basu, secretary of the West Bengal Power Department, has resigned from the DVC Board, and the Chief Engineer of the state Irrigation Department, has resigned from the DVRRC. The DVRRC comprises representatives from the DVC, Water Commission, and the governments of West Bengal and Jharkhand. In a letter to the DVC chairman, the Power Department Secretary stated: “Due to the uncontrolled water release by the DVC from the two reservoirs, large sections of the state’s population are suffering.
This action is unprecedented, and in protest, I am resigning as West Bengal’s member from the DVC Board.” Incidentally, Mr Basu, in addition to being the secretary of the Power Department, is also the secretary of the Information and Cultural Affairs Department, which is headed by Miss Banerjee herself. Rainfall caused by a lowpressure system in the Bay of Bengal last week led to an increase in water levels at the Maithon and Panchet reservoirs. After the DVC released water from these reservoirs, vast areas in West Midnapore, Hooghly, Howrah, Bankura, East Midnapore, East Burdwan, and West Burdwan were flooded. Miss Banerjee herself visited the flood-affected areas last Wednesday and stayed in Midnapore overnight. She has consistently blamed the DVC for the entire situation.
According to her, the flood was deliberately caused to save Jharkhand by releasing dam water into Bengal, which she has called a “manmade flood.” Miss Banerjee had warned that she would sever all ties with the DVC, and subsequently, she wrote to Mr Modi informing him of the flood situation. In response to Miss Banerjee’s letter, Union Minister of Jal Shakti, C. R. Patil, wrote back, stating that the DVRRC makes decisions on water release after consulting with state representatives and that the committee had made efforts to prevent flooding in Bengal. On Saturday, Miss Banerjee wrote a second letter to Mr Modi in response to the minister’s letter, stating that the Centre’s claims are incorrect. She asserted that on many occasions, water is released without the state’s consent, and all major decisions are taken by the Central Water Commission and the Ministry of Jal Shakti, without considering the state’s requests.