Mamata alleges DVC unilaterally released water, manufactured flood-like situation during Puja

Kolkata, Oct 3 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday accused the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) of releasing water "recklessly and without prior intimation" to the state government, and slammed the central PSU for what she termed a "deliberate ploy" to create a flood-like situation in south Bengal districts during the Durga Puja festivities.

In a strongly worded social media post, Banerjee described the initial release of 65,000 cusecs of water on Bijoya Dashami on Thursday as "reckless" and "shameful", and said it had put "millions of lives in Bengal in immediate peril." After around two hours, she claimed in another post that the DVC released more than 1,50,000 cusecs of water by Friday evening.

"Bijoya Dashami marks the close of Durga Puja - a time for joy, cheer and renewed hope. Yet, instead of allowing the people of West Bengal to conclude the festival in peace, the DVC released 65,000 cusecs of water without any prior notice to the state. This reckless act is nothing short of an attempt to inflict misery during our sacred festivities," she said.

Calling it "absolutely unacceptable", the chief minister alleged that the release amounted to a "disaster manufactured by the DVC".

"By releasing water without intimation, the DVC has placed millions of lives in Bengal in immediate peril. This is not a natural calamity, it is a disaster manufactured by the DVC," Banerjee asserted.

Issuing a defiant warning, she added, "Let me be clear: I will not allow anyone to carry out a Bisarjan (immersion) of Bengal. Every conspiracy against our people will be resisted with full force. Truth will prevail over deceit and good will triumph over evil. Joy Maa Durga!" Later, Banerjee alleged that the discharge had risen and accused the agency of aggravating the crisis.

"The latest update on the unilateral and wilful release of water by DVC is that they have by the evening today released more than 150,000 cusecs of water from Maithon and Panchet dams etc to flood our West Bengal during festival times.

"This is a deliberate ploy to unleash disaster on us in order to inflict pain on millions when they are still busy in the Pujas. Shameful, intolerable, unacceptable! We protest!!" she wrote in another post.

State irrigation department officials confirmed that the water released from Maithon and Panchet reservoirs had risen to 70,000 cusecs by Friday, with additional discharges of 59,075 cusecs from the Durgapur Barrage along with flows through its irrigation canals.

"Rainfall is continuing in Jharkhand, leading to discharge there. Water from nearby rivers and streams is also flowing into the Damodar, pushing up its level. Hence, the discharge from Durgapur Barrage has been increased," an irrigation official said.

With the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall in Jharkhand and West Bengal due to a depression, officials said that inflows into the Damodar river could rise further, forcing the DVC to step up releases.

The water discharge has triggered fears of fresh inundation in several south Bengal districts already reeling under continuous rain.

District administrations of Purba and Paschim Medinipur, Purba and Paschim Bardhaman, Hooghly, Howrah and Bankura have been put on high alert and asked to monitor vulnerable riverbank zones.

The DVC, a central government agency, has not issued an immediate response.

In earlier instances, it has defended its release decisions as technical requirements tied to inflows and dam safety.

Banerjee has in the past repeatedly accused the DVC of mismanagement of floodwaters, citing lack of dredging and poor coordination with the state government.

Established in 1948, the DVC is an integrated power major spread across a command area of 24,235 sq km in West Bengal and Jharkhand. It functions under the Ministry of Power. PTI PNT BSM NN