Uma Bharati lauds Bengal government work under irrigation department as 'masterpiece'

Union Water Resource Minister Uma Bharati on Sunday termed as "masterpiece" the efforts of taken by the West Bengal irrigation department under the Command Area Development (CAD) Programme as a "masterpiece,"  Uma Bharati said such works were not done in last 30 years.

"I have seen the works done by the state irrigation department under CAD. They are beautiful, masterpiece I think. And I can say that the works done in the last three years were not done in the last 30 years," Bharati said. The Minister said she would put up the state irrigation department's success story under the CAD programme as a model for other states and ask them to follow it.

"I am happy to see the works done under the Ghatal Master Plan... It's commendable... Even one year before there was nothing there," she said. Later, after having a look at areas where riverbank erosion was growing, Bharati promised the Centre would help the state in reducing riverbank erosion from Farakka to Mohana.

"Last time we had taken her to areas in Farakka where erosion was taking place. Today we showed her those places, which are eating up land every day. She (Bharati) was quite concerned and she has promised all help to check riverbank erosion," state irrigation minister Rajib Banerjee told PTI. Banerjee took the Union Minister on a boat ride on the Hooghly River for an inspection of areas where heavy erosion was reported.