Centre refutes Bengal CM's claim of excess water release from DVC reservoirs

New Delhi: Jal Shakti Minister C R Paatil rejected West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's allegations of "unilateral and wilful" release of water by the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) to flood parts of the state during Durga Puja, saying the actual discharge was less than half of what was claimed.

Paatil, citing information from the Damodar Valley Reservoir Regulation Committee (DVRRC), said a total of 70,000 cusecs of water including 42,500 cusecs from Maithon reservoir and 27,500 cusecs from Panchet reservoir, was released.

"This is not 1,50,000 cusecs as has been tweeted by the Hon'ble Chief Minister of West Bengal," he said.

Banerjee had earlier alleged that the DVC had released more than 1.5 lakh cusecs of water "to flood our West Bengal during festival times," calling it a "deliberate ploy" to cause suffering to millions celebrating during the festive season.

She termed the release "shameful, intolerable and unacceptable" and lodged a protest.

Countering the charge, Paatil said the DVRRC follows a "systematic and scientific approach" for reservoir operations, guided by the Damodar Valley Reservoir Regulation Manual.

Before making the releases, the committee sought views from the state's Irrigation and Waterways Directorate but "no comments or inputs were received", he added.

The minister also said that the situation in the lower Damodar area remains "normal" with no reported congestion, with water levels at Harinkhola in Hooghly district remaining below the warning threshold.