**Kolkata:** Amid heavy rainfall in West Bengal, the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) on Friday released additional water from its dams due to increased inflow from rains in Jharkhand. This move has sparked strong criticism from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who accused DVC of releasing water without obtaining permission from the state government.
Taking to social media platform X, Mamata Banerjee condemned the DVC’s actions, stating:
“The latest update on the unilateral and willful release of water by DVC is that they have by the evening today released more than 150,000 cusecs of water from Maithon and Panchet dams etc to flood our West Bengal during festival times. This is a deliberate ploy to unleash disaster on us in order to inflict pains on millions when they are still busy in the Pujas. Shameful, intolerable, unacceptable! We protest!!”
Earlier in the day, she had posted another message on X expressing her outrage:
“Bijoya Dashami marks the close of Durga Puja — a time for joy, cheer, and renewed hope. Yet instead of allowing the people of West Bengal to conclude the festival in peace, the DVC released 65,000 cusecs of water without any prior notice to the State. This reckless act is nothing short of an attempt to inflict misery during our sacred festivities. Such unilateral action is shameful and absolutely unacceptable.”
The Chief Minister further added,
“By releasing water without intimation, the DVC has placed millions of lives in Bengal in immediate peril. This is not a natural calamity, it is a disaster manufactured by the DVC. Let me be clear: I will not allow anyone to carry out a Bisarjan of Bengal. Every conspiracy against our people will be resisted with full force. Truth will prevail over deceit and good will triumph over evil. Joy Maa Durga!”
It is noteworthy that Mamata Banerjee has repeatedly accused the DVC of releasing water without prior permission in the past. Although the DVC has responded to these allegations before, as of the time of reporting, the corporation has not issued any statement regarding the recent water release.
The situation continues to develop as West Bengal grapples with the challenges posed by the heavy rainfall and water management between neighboring states during the festive season.
https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/west-bengal-cm-mamata-banerjee-slams-dvc-over-release-of-15-lakh-cusecs-of-water
