Trinamool leaders, including some elected representatives of the party of Malda and Murshidabad districts, gheraoed the general manager of the Farakka Barrage Project Authority (FBPA) in Farakka on Tuesday, alleging inaction on its part to deal with the dual problems of erosion and flood.

Around 2pm, the TMC leaders walked into the FBPA office and confined R.D. Deshpande, the general manager, to his office from 2pm to 5pm.

Malda and Murshidabad districts are located on the left and right bank of the Ganga respectively. Over the past few years, erosion has taken an acute turn in both districts, with the river gobbling chunks of land every day, along with houses, schools, religious places, and other structures. Thousands of people have been rendered homeless in
recent years.

“Till 2017, the FBPA used to carry out anti-erosion works and flood protection works 40km upstream and 80km downstream of the barrage. However, the Narendra Modi government reduced its jurisdiction from 120km to 19km without informing the state government,” said Sabina Yeasmin, the minister of state for irrigation, who is also the Trinamool MLA from Malda.

“That is why, we demonstrated today (Tuesday) and want the Centre to roll back its decision and restore the FBPA’s original jurisdiction of 120km,” she added.

The consistent erosion caused by the Ganga has, in the past, prompted chief minister Mamata Banerjee to react. Along with the demand to revise the jurisdiction of the FBPA, she has also accused the Centre of not providing funds to the state to handle
the situation.

“The Centre has bypassed our state while holding talks with the Bangladesh government on the renewal of the Ganga Water Sharing Treaty (to end next year). Also, the Centre has not provided funds which we were supposed to get to prevent erosion and flood on both banks of the river,” Mamata had said.

Abdur Rahim Boxi, a TMC MLA and party’s president of Malda district, accused the Centre of bias. against Bengal

“People are becoming homeless, losing their farmland and leaving. The central government, however, has turned a blind eye to the issue,” said Boxi.

The general manager of the FBPA, Boxi said, sought seven days from them.

“If the authority doesn’t resume its work to curb erosion and flood along the 120km stretch, we will resume our movement,” he added.

Later in the day, Deshpande, the general manager, said that as of now, they take care of a 6.5km area on the banks of the Ganga upstream and 12.5km downstream of
the barrage.

“Trinamool leaders have flagged certain demands before us, including the extension of our area of operation, both upstream and downstream. We have forwarded the demands to our senior officials,” he said.