The TMC Lok Sabha candidate Rachna Banerjee carried out her election campaign at Balagarh today as people raised longstanding and pending issues which have not been resolved yet.

Since most of the developmental work is caught up in the trap of blame game between the state and central government. Alarming rate of river bank erosion in Balagarh is a major problem which has not been resolved permanently.

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The demand for more land area for the expansion of floriculture and horticulture has not yet met, while the lack of medical staff in different health centers and gramin hospital remains unresolved.

The primary school at Charkhayramari – Jirat in Balagarh stands vulnerable to the massive river bank erosion, the teachers and parents are alarmed at the fast progressing river bank erosion, which have already eroded a major part of the vast school compound, even a part of the school building has now gone under water due to erosion.

Local residents narrated that they have lost their agricultural land and houses to the river, steps taken by the administration have not proved effective to prevent the progressing river bank erosion.

More than 2-km stretch of river bank area from Guptipara Surya Mandir onwards is undergoing a massive river bank erosion at an alarming rate. Extensive loss of land area, adjacent to the Hooghly river is taking place and the concerned department is well aware of the alarming situation but yet not taken any steps to check erosion.

The deputy pradhan of Guptipara-1 gram panchayat, Biswajit Nag said, “The Inland waterways Authority of India have carried on dredging at their Santipur jetty but then allowed the removed sand to remix into the river flow a little far away. As a result, a new sand bar has come up, the newly-built sand bar in the Hooghly river at Guptipara has diverted the turbulent river water current towards the river bank. The irrigation department and the Damodar lower division have been intimated of the impending threat by the alarming rate of river bank erosion which may soon cause loss of lives, but no steps have been taken as yet.”

The TMC Hooghly candidate Rachna Banerjee, hearing the woes of the people, promised that if she is elected, she will raise the Balagarh river bank erosion issue.

Rachana added, since progress and development is the main aim and motto of TMC, she will look into the matter to further flourish floriculture and horticulture business in Balagarh.