Baby Chakraborty | KalimNews | June 20, 2025 | Kolkata: Irrigation Minister Manas Bhuiyan, continuing his tour of flood-affected regions, visited Paschim Medinipur following his earlier inspections in Durgapur and Bankura. During his visit, he conducted a ground assessment of the inundated areas and directed the local administration to provide all necessary support to the affected residents. The minister emphasized the urgent need for proactive disaster management and accused the central government of prolonged inaction regarding critical infrastructural issues.
Speaking to journalists on-site, Bhuiyan attributed the declining water-holding capacity of the Durgapur Barrage to years of silt accumulation. He stated that despite the state government’s repeated appeals to the Centre for desilting assistance, no meaningful response had been received. “The Centre has not extended any support since 2015 for repairing the lock gates of the Durgapur Barrage. The Chief Minister is funding these works from the state’s own resources,” he said, expressing frustration. “Over the last thirteen years, several formal requests have been made to increase the barrage’s capacity by removing silt, but we have only received empty promises.”
On Friday morning, the minister inspected the recently renovated road atop the Durgapur Barrage and again voiced strong criticism of the Centre’s alleged neglect. He revealed that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had personally written to both the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Prime Minister, urging action, but to no avail. Bhuiyan added that plans were being discussed to construct a new bridge adjacent to the existing one and pledged to escalate the proposal to higher authorities for consideration.
Discussing the status of the road renovation work, the minister acknowledged delays caused by rainfall and noted that rubber seals—critical for completing the barrage road—were yet to be installed and are being procured from Hyderabad. The road repair had necessitated halting the water flow for about one and a half months. Now, water is being cautiously released in small volumes to stabilize water levels in Maithan, Panchet, and Durgapur Barrages.
The recent spell of heavy rainfall in districts including Bankura, Purulia, Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, and parts of Jharkhand has intensified water flow in the Damodar River, raising concerns over potential overflow. Minister Bhuiyan stressed that a formal request had been submitted to ensure the state government is notified in advance before any water is released, to better manage the situation. He confirmed that irrigation department officials are closely monitoring developments.
Accompanying the minister on this inspection were key officials and political representatives, including Paschim Medinipur District Magistrate Khurshid Ali Qadri, Superintendent of Police Dhritimaan Sarkar, District President Pratibha Maiti, District Vice President Ajit Maiti, Ghatal Sub-Divisional Officer Suman Biswas, Garbeta MLA Uttara Singh Hazra, and Shalbani MLA and State Minister Shrikant Mahato.