Over three lakh people in East and West Midnapore had become homeless till Thursday as vast areas of the two districts were flooded amid heavy rain in the past two days.

Two persons also died on Thursday, raising the toll to seven. Sanatan Soren, 8, drowned in West Midnapore’s Chandmura village. Seikh Firoz, 32, drowned in Kharagpur.

The downpour breached embankments of rivers, including Keleghai and Kapaleshwari, causing the floods.

The state government has blamed the Centre for not giving funds for multiple projects that could have in large part averted the natural calamity and saved life and property.

“At least three lakh people in two districts are homeless following fresh floods on Wednesday. We have opened over 300 relief camps in schools and government buildings. The irrigation department has started work to repair embankments at a few places but the situation is grim,” said Saumen Mahapatra, state irrigation minister.

Sources said Sabang in West Midnapore was the worst hit and was facing a calamity of this magnitude after 12 years as embankments of Keleghai and Kapaleshwari rivers had breached at six and four places, respectively, since Wednesday night.

“Nearly 1.96 lakh of the 2.92 lakh population of Sabang have been hit by floods as river water entered major parts of the Assembly constituency. Around 61,000 houses have been fully damaged and 20,000 people have been shifted to relief centres,” said Manas Ranjan Bhunia, water-resources investigation and development minister and Sabang MLA.

He, along with Mahapatra and other district officials, visited affected areas on boats.

Bhunia said chief minister Mamata Banerjee had been briefed about the situation.

Sources said floods were triggered as the two districts received over 400mm of rainfall in the past two days. This led to at least five rivers crossing the danger level and breaching many embankments.

Apart from Sabang, seven blocks, including Pingla and Debra in West Midnapore and Patashpur and Egra in East Midnapore, are badly flooded.

Ministers and government officials said the second such incident of inundation of these areas within a month proved the lack of central funds had adversely impacted lakhs of people.

In August too, vast areas of these two districts and Hooghly’s Khanakul faced devastating floods.

Sources said the flood could have been averted if the Keleghai-Kapaleswari project and Ghatal master plan had been implemented.

For the Keleghai-Kapaleshwari project, the state government had given Rs 650 crore but much work got stuck as the Centre did not send its share of Rs 147 crore.

“The state government did the major work in the Keleghai-Kapaleshwari project but it could not be complete as the Centre did not give its share of Rs 147 crore,” said Bhunia.

Officials said river Kansabati, which inundated a large part of East Midnapore, would have been covered under the Ghatal master plan had the Centre given the funds.

A nine-member Bengal team on August 31 met Union Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Sekhawat and NITI Aayog vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar to seek funds from the Centre for implementing at least four projects, including the Ghatal master plan.

“In the meeting, the central government assured us to provide us funds and asked to send a report for the due and fresh demands. We were told that the Centre would inform us what per cent of the total project cost Delhi would be able to provide us now. However, we are yet to receive the letter,” said Mahapatra.

Apart from the casualties, a fisherman went missing in West Midnapore.