Kolkata, September 10: The Singur and Nandigram controversies notwithstanding, the West Bengal government will go in for a direct purchase of land in the Sunderbans to concretise embankments of flood-prone rivers.
West Bengal Irrigation Minister Subhas Naskar said 778 km of breached embankments, which are very ‘critical’, would be concretised to prevent recurring flood in the Aila-hit delta requiring about 14,000 acres of land.
The project would take three years to complete and cost about Rs 6,000 crore which would include 10 per cent as land cost.
The minister, however, said that the project had to be cleared by the state cabinet.
The Sundarbans Affairs Minister, Kanti Ganguly, said that the required land would be purchased directly by the Land and Land Revenue department.
Land and Land Revenue Minister Rezzak Molla, however, said that it would take some time to invite formal applications from the farmers expressing their willingness to sell land.
—Agencies