Bengal will have to contribute around Rs 610 crore towards the project
Kolkata: The state govt has proposed a Rs 1,550-crore flood management project to tackle severe river erosion in Ratua-I block and Manikchak in Malda. “The Fulhar is presently only 500 metres away from the Ganga.
Irrigation and waterways minister Arup Kumar Das said intervention by the Centre was necessary to coordinate the project with Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand. The matter has been briefed to our CM Suvendu Adhikari, who is also taking the initiative to bring the three states to the discussion table,” Das said. This will render the barrage non-functional, while the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port will also suffer from a shortage of water,” the minister said.
“We have already submitted the project to the Ministry of Jal Shakti, and I have spoken to the concerned Union minister. If the two rivers merge, water will bypass the Farakka barrage and flow into Bangladesh. The state plans to utilise funds from its Calamity Relief Fund and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). Adhikari has also written to Union home minister Amit Shah seeking his intervention in arranging funds .