Looking for a way out

Malda, Jan. 13: Residents of Panchanandapur have blocked the construction of a 5km-long embankment on the Ganga and urged the government to spend the money sanctioned for the project on the rehabilitation of those living close to the river.

This would have been the ninth embankment built in the area in the past 30 years or so. All the previous ones have been washed away as the river continues to eat into Panchanandapur, located around 20km from Malda town.

The decision of the residents means the irrigation department will have to return Rs 8 crore to the government unspent.

At an all party meeting held in Kaliachak II block on Tuesday, leaders irrespective of party affiliations raised objection to the way the irrigation department was planning to construct the embankment.

CPM leader Bhola Upadhyay said: “If the embankment is built 500m from the Ganga, a huge number of residents of the Bangatola gram panchayat will get caught in the unprotected area. Who will take their responsibility? Besides, there have been no floods in the past three years. The embankment will be a futile exercise.”

Congress leader Dulal Sheikh said the embankment would not serve the common man’s interest but only fill the pockets of irrigation engineers and contractors.

“We would rather urge the government to announce some rehabilitation packages for those living close to the river with the money it had planned to spend on the construction of the embankment,” Sheikh said.

The executive engineer of the irrigation department, Soumen Mishra, said: “No one can guarantee that there will be no floods in the area in future just because there hasn’t been one in the past three years.”

According to Mishra, in 2005, the residents had demanded an embankment constructed 500m from the Ganga. The irrigation department wanted it to come up at a distance of 1.5 km from the river. Finally, the department bowed to the residents’ demand.

“But now they are making an absurd demand. We shall explain our stand to the government and, if necessary, we shall return the money to the finance department,” Mishra said.

District magistrate Chittaranjan Das has supported Mishra.