Ghatal in West Bengal’s Paschim Medinipur district is facing severe floods and waterlogging following heavy rainfall.
For residents, movement is now possible only by boat. Roads have disappeared under waist-deep water. Houses and farmlands across Ghatal Municipality and nearby blocks like Garbeta, Goaltore, Chandrakona and Keshpur lie inundated.
For the people here, the floods are an annual nightmare, and so is the political blame game that comes with it.
This year, persistent rainfall combined with water released from reservoirs has led to several rivers — including the Shilabati, Kansai, Jumi, Tamal, Parang, Kethia and Kana -- swelling beyond capacity and spilling over.
According to local media repots, 18-year-old Sheikh Ajabur Ali from Kamargyera died after being swept away by strong currents while trying to cross a flooded rice mill area in Chandrakona Block 1. His body was recovered hours later, deepening the grief in a community already under stress.
“We are doing everything we can,” Paschim Medinipur District Magistrate Khurshid Ali Qadri was quoted as saying by Sangbad Pratidin during a site visit with Superintendent of Police Dhritiman Sarkar. “Relief camps have been set up, and we are distributing food and clean water.”
But locals say that’s not enough. They blame decades of inaction.
Ghatal Master Plan: A political battlefield
At the heart of the crisis lies the much-delayed Ghatal Master Plan -- a flood management project which includes dredging over 130 km of riverbed, building embankments, bridges, artificial canals and acquiring land. It’s estimated to take at least four to five years.
The Trinamool Congress says the plan has been pending with the Centre for 12 years. On its official X page, the party posted:
“The Ghatal Master Plan has been pending with the Centre for 12 years. Despite repeated appeals from GoWB, the heartless Modi Govt. hasn’t lifted a finger… With ZERO support from Centre, Smt. Mamata Banerjee took matters into her own hands. Rs1,500 crore has been earmarked and Rs 500 crore allocated in FY 2025–26 Budget.”
The post goes on to accuse the power ministry-controlled Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) of releasing massive volumes of water without prior warning, exacerbating the crisis.
Trinamool Congress MP from Ghatal, Dev (Deepak Adhikari), also issued a detailed statement on X: “For the last 10 years, I’ve raised the Ghatal Master Plan in every Parliament session. But despite repeated efforts, the Centre has not responded. In 2024, the State Government decided to go ahead and allocated one-third of the project cost (Rs 500 crore). Work began in February 2025. This is not a short-term fix—dredging, embankments, bridges, canals, and land acquisition will take 4–5 years.”
He added, “As always, people will blame elected representatives when floods hit. But we are here, working alongside the administration during this crisis.”
BJP hits back: “Mamata did nothing”
The BJP has rejected the TMC’s claims. BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya posted a rebuttal with a screenshot of a PTI report, stating:
“Stop the blame game! The Central Government approved the Ghatal Master Plan way back in June 2022...nearly three years ago. But Mamata Banerjee did NOTHING. No execution. No progress. Just excuses. West Bengal deserves better than an incompetent Chief Minister who only knows how to deflect blame.”
This is certainly not the first time Malviya had considered bringing this matter up.
“Mamata Banerjee has converted Ghatal into Venice. If you survive the TMC crime syndicates, the flood will get you. Either way, life is hard in Bengal. Human life has no value...from Kolkata to Kurseong.”
The political sparring has left residents caught in the middle, with few answers and fewer solutions. Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department has predicted more rain in the coming week. The DVC continues to release water. Roads remain impassable. Electricity and drinking water are scarce.
Ground report
“There’s no drinking water. Power has been out for days. How long can we live in a relief camp?” said Minati Mahato, a resident of Ghatal Block. In several areas, wooden bridges have been swept away. Children and the elderly wade through waist-deep water or wait for makeshift boats to reach dry ground.
“Every time this happens, the Centre blames the State and the State blames the Centre. And we...the people get washed away in between,” Sanatan Maji, a farmer from Garbeta whose paddy fields are now under water, told a news channel recently.