Work continues to strengthen the banks of the Ganga at Panchanandapur. Picture by Surajit Roy

Malda, March 7: Outgoing district magistrate Ashok Bala today warned that time was running out for building the ninth embankment that could save the district from the wrath of floods this year.

Bala, who handed over charge to incumbent Abhijit Chowdhury today, said he had sent a situation report to the state government on the status of the flood-prevention work undertaken in the district.

?I am totally frustrated over the lack of interest shown by political parties and the irrigation department to solve the flood problem. When the river will break banks in monsoon, the blame will fall on the district administration and the district magistrate will be blamed for not acquiring the land needed to put up the embankment,? Bala said.

Reiterating the necessity to build the ninth embankment, he said: ?Floods will surely occur, if the embankment is not erected at Panchanandapur. In fact, since the devastation in the last two years has been less than that of previous years, there is strong possibility that the scenario will be worse this year. I will not be here but I do not want the incumbent to fall into any controversy.?

He lamented that neither the political parties nor the irrigation department was taking proper interest in building the embankment. ?There is just two-and-half months left and I have still not received any letter from the irrigation department asking for land,? Bala said with a shrug.

Zilla parishad sabhadhipati Gautam Chakrabarty, when contacted, said he had spoken to irrigation minister Ganesh Mondol and the requisition letter for land to build the embankment would arrive soon.

?After the flood protection work was taken over by the Union water resources ministry, the state government does not want to get into any controversy. That is why the state irrigation department is reinforcing the banks instead of working on the embankment,? Chakrabarty explained.

The executive engineer of the district irrigation department said tenders had been floated and he was awaiting further instructions from the government.