Pranab Mukherjee made an aerial survey of West Midnapore district and urged the WB govt to work on projects aimed at preventing floods in the region.
SABANG: External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday made an aerial survey of the flood-hit areas of West Midnapore district and urged the West Bengal government to expedite work on projects aimed at preventing floods in the region.
The West Bengal government should give top priority to implement projects which would check floods in West Midnapore district when it submits its report to the Planning Commission, Mukherjee said after making an aerial survey of Ghatal, Sabanga and Pingla areas where the situation improved on Saturday.
Expressing concern over extensive floods this year in areas of the district which never witnessed it earlier, the Congress leader from the state said that the natural drainage system had been disturbed due to encroachments.
Mukherjee, who will meet Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in Kolkataon Sunday, said that he would take up the long-pending Ghatal Masterplan to stop floods in the area and also the project to prevent floods by Kapaleswari and Keleghai rivers and save Pingla and Sabang areas.
He said the first meeting of the newly set up National Council on Climate Change yesterday in Delhi had expressed concern over the phenomena. In West Midnapore, where the annual rainfall is 1800 mm, has already received 1200 mm of rains.
Yet another disturbing aspect of the floods this time is that it occurred in July instead of the usual September-October months.
"The Centre is conscious of the problem of climate change - especially in view of the apprehension that parts of Bangladesh and West Bengal will be submerged," he said.
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