Opposition parties launched a broadside against the Trinamool Congress government following the destruction caused by heavy rain in north Bengal, alleging that apathy, corruption and failure to address environmental concerns had aggravated the situation.
Opposition leaders blamed the state government for its alleged negligence in maintaining the ageing road and bridge infrastructure in the hilly terrains of north Bengal.
CPM state secretary Md Salim said Trinamool’s obsession with its signature colours had become symbolic of misplaced priorities. “Blue and white don’t mean development. In the Trinamool regime, these colours do not ensure security and safety; rather, they mean dangerous outcomes,” he said.
Salim alleged that indiscriminate removal of stones from the hills and riverbeds in north Bengal had intensified flooding and landslides.
“The removal of stones in north Bengal has taken the shape of the looting of sand from rivers in south Bengal. Even officials of the state government were attacked when they tried to stop it,” he said, adding that such unchecked exploitation of natural resources had directly contributed to the collapse of infrastructure.
“This devastation is not man-made, as someone said, but rather it was because of the looting of natural resources with the indulgence of the ruling party."
The CPM accused both the Centre and the state of disturbing the ecological balance in the hills on the pretext of development.
“Construction of dams, tunnels and wider roads, coupled with large-scale felling of trees, went on simultaneously without any restriction. This has eventually resulted in the devastation, and the lack of maintenance of bridges and roads has made the situation more dangerous,” Salim said.
The CPM said environmentalists had long warned that poor maintenance of hilly roads, unchecked quarrying, and hill-cutting for road expansion left the terrain increasingly vulnerable.
The BJP accused the state government of indifference and insensitivity.
The leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, said: “When people in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong were rattled by relentless rain and landslides and struggling for survival in the absence of food and drinking water, the state government remained apathetic. In such a crisis, the state machinery was absent. Instead, it preferred to remain busy organising the Durga Puja carnival, while our chief minister Mamata Banerjee was enjoying the programme by dancing with film artistes.”
The Congress, too, launched a strong attack on Mamata for what it called her “marked delay” in visiting the affected regions because she participated in Sunday’s Carnival.
Congress working committee member Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said: “Such narrowness cannot yield positive results for the people of Bengal. There should be an atmosphere where people stand by others in distress.”