Centre mum on Bengal's concern over Ganga erosion: Mamata

Berhampore (WB), Jan 20 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday expressed concern over the erosion of the Ganga river causing havoc in Murshidabad district, and accused the Centre of not replying to any of the letters written by her government in this regard.

She said that around 1,500 hectares of land were affected by the erosion which has eaten up residential buildings, mosques, agricultural land as well as roads.

"Ganga erosion causes a lot of damage in Murshidabad. Areas like Samserganj and Dhuliyan are badly affected. Around 1,500-hector land has been eroded. I have written to the Centre several times but they are not paying heed to it," she said.

Banerjee was addressing a Public Distribution Programme at Lalbagh in Murshidabad district.

She alleged that the central government has stopped all its programmes to control floods and does not release funds for the state to check the calamity.

"The Centre has stopped one of its programmes to address the flood situation. Now we have to repair the roads damaged by floods. The central government does not even give us the funds to address it," she said.

In an apparent reference to the BJP, Banerjee alleged that they arrived in Bengal before and during the elections and tried to create rifts between Hindus and Muslims, as well as among brothers and sisters.

"But when people are affected by erosion, they do not pay any heed to that," she said.

From Murshidabad, Banerjee went to the neighbouring Malda district and visited the widow of slain TMC leader Dulal Sarkar at their home.

"He (Sarkar) was a popular leader. He was well known to me," said Banerjee who is also the Trinamool Congress supremo.

Sarkar, a councillor, was shot dead at point-blank range by bike-borne assailants near his plywood factory in English Bazar’s Jhaljhalia area on January 2.

The police arrested TMC's Malda town president Narendra Nath Tiwari in connection with the murder, following which the party expelled him.

The TMC boss also wondered why the party kept losing elections in Malda.

"It is a big mystery to me and I am going to crack it," she said. PTI SCH NN