The Centre’s Brahmaputra Board has asked the Bengal government to submit proposals for flood-prevention measures related to two tributaries of the river passing through the state so that funds can be sanctioned, considering a demand that is being raised for more than a decade.
The board functions under the Union Jal Shakti ministry. The Bengal irrigation department has been told to submit proposals related to flood-control projects on the banks of the Torsha and the Jaldhaka, two prominent rivers of north Bengal that merge with the Brahmaputra in Bangladesh.
The state government has time and again underscored that even though a number of rivers in north Bengal are in the Brahmaputra basin, the board has not provided it funds for the construction of embankments and other infrastructure to check floods.
Last Wednesday, the Brahmaputra Board, which has all the northeastern states, Sikkim and Bengal as members, met in Shillong. A superintending engineer of the Bengal irrigation department represented the state.
“He mentioned that we had earlier submitted multiple projects for flood-prevention measures related to some prominent rivers of north Bengal. However, no funds were approved. Rajiv Yadav, the board chairman, asked our representative to submit project plans,” an official said.
Around 10 years ago, the irrigation department had submitted proposals worth Rs 146 crore to the board.
Sources in the department said the fresh proposals would have detailed plans to build embankments along the Torsha and the Jaldhaka, repair existing ones and carry out flood-protection and anti-erosion measures. The projects will encompass Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar.