Mamata Banerjee on Monday demanded compensation from the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan for the damages suffered in this month’s deluge that devastated vast swathes of north Bengal.

The chief minister, currently on her second tour of north Bengal since the October 5 disaster to oversee relief and rehabilitation operations, said on Monday that the floods were caused by water released from Bhutan.

“The floods were caused because of the waters released by Bhutan.... I believe they should compensate (Bengal), given the extent of damage caused,” she said at Nagrakata, Jalpaiguri.

“Nobody gives us any money at all, neither the Centre nor anybody else. Our Bengal government has to shoulder all expenses,” Mamata said.

On October 6, Mamata labelled the floods “manmade”, blaming the water that came flowing down from Bhutan and Sikkim.

“Besides over 300mm rainfall in north Bengal, water from Bhutan raged in through the Sankosh, and Sikkim’s water flooded several areas.... In Sikkim, they built 40 hydropower projects on the Teesta... where does that water go? It comes to Siliguri, Matigara and Kalimpong. We are dealing with the ramifications, while they are busy making money,” she had claimed.

Bhutan has 56 rivers,” she had said, and added that the Bhutan government communicated to her its sympathies on October 5. “We had asked them to release water slowly. Once released, it takes two-three days to reach us. Yet, with what they released, Nagrakata was washed away, along with Dhupguri, vast stretches of Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Matigara, Mirik and Darjeeling,” she had said.

At least 33 people were killed in the deluge.

On Monday, Mamata said: “We have been saying for a long time that the India-Bhutan River Commission should be formed and Bengal be made a member of it. The Centre has called a meeting in this regard on October 16. An official from the state will be sent to that meeting."

She also told the districts administration to consider the extraction of dolomite from the river waters in north Bengal.

“Dolomite has come from Bhutan (floodwaters) and caused major harm. I suggest extraction of the dolomite to raise money for relief operations,” she told officials, including Bengal chief secretary Manoj Pant.

Dolomite, of which Bhutan is one of the largest exporters in the world, is a mineral used primarily in the steel and cement industries as a flux, refractory and sintering agent. It is also used in construction, agriculture and glass manufacturing sectors.