Upon the instructions from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, state labour minister Becharam Manna today visited the flood-affected areas of the Arambagh subdivision.

The release of huge volumes of water from the DVC, the Darkeswar, the Mundeswari, the Damodar rivers are in spate and have overflowed their banks while most of the irrigation dams are breached. The previous Goghat MLA Manash Mazumdar said, 200 meters of irrigation dam along the Darkeswar river have washed away, the entire Panchayat area is under chest-deep water, all the kuccha houses have crumbled down and the entire crop stands lost. Kamala Das, 102, and a teenager Shubu Das were carried away by turbulent floodwater and their bodies have been retrieved and sent for post-mortem.

Large areas of Pursura, Khanakul are also inundated. The Arambagh civic body administrator Swapan Nandi said that nearly all the civic wards are flooded which has gushed into the ground floor of the house with people confined.

The state labour minister Becharam Manna said that the chief minister had asked him to visit the flood-affected Arambagh subdivision and after reviewing the situation he said it was grim. Khanakul, Goghat, Pursura, Arambagh is all under turbulent flood water, the present flood situation seems the recurrence of the massive flood that took place in 1978.

“It is a man-made flood by the BJP-led central government since repeated reminders to the central government to dredge the lower Damodar valley and to provide sufficient funds to build up and strengthen the dams across the
Damodar, Mundeswari, Darkeswar, fell on deaf ears.

At present massive flood situation when the people are in great distress none of the BJP MLAs are found near the flood-affected people, they are so insensitive to the agony, distress and tears of the plight of the people but to capture political power in West Bengal the entire BJP leadership rushed for election campaign. Let them now rush to Arambagh subdivision and perceive the situation with their own eyes and do the needful,” he said.

Manna added the affected people have been put up in relief camps where food,clothing, drinking water and medical services are being provided, after having the view of the flood-affected area and administrative meeting was held in the presence of DM, SDO, SP and other administrative heads so that measures are taken to address the issues of flood-hit people.