West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday announced a compensation of ₹5 lakh each for the families of those who lost their lives in the devastating landslides that struck the state’s Darjeeling district over the weekend.
“Money cannot compensate for the loss of a life, but this is our social obligation,” said Mamata Banerjee. The Chief Minister confirmed that 23 people had died in the disaster and that around 500 stranded tourists had been rescued from the Darjeeling hills and nearby regions
Speaking to reporters at Kolkata airport before leaving for Bagdogra, Banerjee described the flooding as a “man-made disaster” and questioned the effectiveness of dams in preventing such calamities. “For 20 years, I have been asking for desilting of Farakka, Maithan, Panchet, and Durgapur barrages. Nobody listens,” said Mamata Banerjee.
The Chief Minister argued that a lack of regular dredging had worsened the situation, allowing rivers to overflow during heavy rainfall. “Water from Bhutan, Sikkim, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh is entering Bengal and flooding our areas. The rivers are overflowing, where will our water go?” she remarked, claiming that North Bengal received 300 mm of rainfall within 12 hours.
Mamata Banerjee said that the state government had requested Bhutan to release dam water gradually, to which the neighbouring country had responded “though not exactly with an apology.”
“The Damodar Valley Corporation is trying to save Jharkhand. I have no problem with that. But how much water can Bengal contain?” she asked. “What happened in North Bengal is a combination of man-made floods and excess rains. Bengal is like a boat. Had dredging been done at Haldia, Calcutta Port, Panchet, and Maithan, this would not have happened.”
Banerjee said she would travel with Chief Secretary Manoj Pant to Hasimara and then attempt to reach Nagrakata, one of the worst-hit areas, where both the Block Development Office and the police station are underwater. She added that rescue operations were continuing across several districts, including Dhupguri, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Jorebungalow, Kalimpong, Mirik, and Nagrakata, the last two being the worst affected.
