Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday highlighted Bengal’s increasing environmental vulnerabilities and called for an urgent review of dam operations, dredging practices and seismic risks in the hill districts of Darjeeling and Kalimpong.

Chairing a review meeting at Lal Kothi in Darjeeling, Mamata criticised the Centre for alleged negligence in maintaining dams across eastern India.

“Why do we have to suffer all the time? There has been no dredging for 20 years in these central government dams. The lack of dredging at Maithon, DVC,
Farakka, Panchet, Kolkata Port and Haldia Port has caused a lot of problems. Bengal and Bihar both suffer every year,” she said.

Referring to a report by astrophysicist Meghnad Saha, the chief minister said Saha had opposed the construction of the Farakka Barrage.

“He (Saha) had opined that there was no need for such dams. Let the rivers flow naturally. If you play with nature, nature will retaliate. Please look into dredging or just do away with the dams,” Mamata added.

Dredging is a process that can reduce flood risk by removing sediment and debris that reduce a river’s capacity, allowing water to flow more freely and preventing overflow.

Mamata also expressed concerns over Sikkim’s hydropower expansion policy.

“They have come up with 14 projects. I am afraid there could be a disaster like Uttarakhand,” she said.

The chief minister said she would direct the Bengal chief secretary to raise the issue of Bhutan releasing excess water into the Dooars region, which floods large parts of north Bengal and deposits dolomite that damages agricultural land. The mineral, she said, would now be sold to generate funds for irrigation projects managed by the disaster management department.

Reviewing the aftermath of the October 4 landslides and floods, Mamata said she had sought a detailed geological report of Darjeeling and Kalimpong from the Geological Survey of India.

She added that a multi-departmental team, including Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) chief executive Anit Thapa and Siliguri mayor Gautam Deb, would coordinate the state’s recovery efforts.

Mamata said over 70,000 people have been affected by the recent disaster and 32 lives lost across north Bengal.

One tourist from Calcutta is still missing.