Kolkata, September 11: With three more deaths, the toll due to floods in West Bengal has risen to six, while an Air Force helicopter airdropped food packets in the worst-hit areas in Hooghly district as part of the state government’s relief measures.
Reviewing the situation at a meeting with Food and Supply Minister Paresh adhikari and senior officials of the
departments concerned, Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta told reporters that the Air Force had helped the state government airdrop food packets at the worst-affected Khanakool and its adjacent areas in Hooghly district.
Altogether five districts have been affected by the flood caused by heavy rains and release of over three lakh cusecs from the DVC reservoirs till Tuesday last.
Even as the release of water by the DVC was reduced, it would take time to repair the damage done already,including the breaches in river embankments.
Dasgupta, however, expressed concern at the deteriorating situation in Howrah and Hooghly districts.
District reports said that Disaster Management Minister Mortaza Hossain and Civil Defence Minister Srikumar Mukherjee faced strong resentment in many places during their visit.
When they got down from their cars, people heckled them charging the government with inaction and inadequate relief distribution.
The ministers abandoning their plan to visit more areas went to Tarakeswar.
The minister said that 17 lakh people had been affected, with only 37,500 of them having been shifted to relief camps.
With a fresh release of Rs 5 crore on Thursday, Dasgupta said that the total amount sanctioned totals Rs 15 crore for the repair of breached embankments, rescue and relief operation.
Medical teams would rush to all the affected areas on Friday, the minister said.
Altogether 1,800 tonnes of rice, 1.3 lakh tarpaulins and 1.5 lakh pouches of drinking water were sent for distribution, Dasgupta said.
The state’s Irrigation Minister Subhas Naskar said that the Union Water Resources Minister Pawan Bansal would visit the state’s Aila-affected Sundarbans area on September 20.
–Agencies