TMC stages protest near Panchet DVC dam in Jharkhand over 'unregulated' water release

Kolkata, Oct 10 (PTI) TMC supporters led by senior West Bengal Minister Moloy Ghatak on Friday staged a demonstration near the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) dam at Panchet in neighbouring Jharkhand to protest alleged unregulated release of water from reservoirs.

Ghatak threatened an indefinite agitation if DVC failed to respond to the state government's repeated pleas for regulating water from Maithon and Panchet dams after heavy rains.

"Despite requests by our Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Irrigation Minister Manas Bhuniya and chief secretary to the DVC authorities, they continue to put the lives of lakhs of people in south Bengal districts in danger by releasing thousands of cusecs of water whenever their are heavy rains in Bihar and Jharkhand," he alleged.

"DVC authorities never undertake dredging, which causes siltation in the Ganga and its tributaries and leads to flood risks in south Bengal districts. Why should Bengal bear the brunt of DVC's incompetence and indifference," Ghatak asked.

Police and security forces kept vigil as TMC activists shouted slogans and demonstrated for over three hours. PTI SUS MNB