Leaders of non-BJP parties made a beeline to stand by the 200 erosion victim families in Baishnabnagar, Malda, who lost their homes recently because of the apparent apathy of the Farakka Barrage Project (FBP) authorities, a central government outfit.

The first to reach the area, around 40km from district headquarters, wasTrinamul’s district president and Rajya Sabha MP Mausam Noor, who distributed relief materials to victims, launched a vitriolic attack on the Centre and urged victims to join her in a movement to ensure proper anti-erosion initiatives along the Ganga by the Centre.

As the FBP authorities are responsible for protection work in areas where the river is engulfing land on its left bank, Noor trained her guns at the Centre’s faulty planning.

“Apparently some anti-erosion work is going on, but the preventive work is done where there is no human habitation. Such work fails to address the real crisis. Highly populated areas are still exposed to the risk of erosion. The central government cannot escape its responsibility,” she said.

Noor, a new inductee in the Trinamul camp, also used the opportunity to inform erosion victims how Bengal’s ruling party was trying to arrange suitable rehabilitation for them before prodding them to join the anti-BJP movement.

“If you support Mamata Banerjee, it will be easier to organise a movement against the BJP government in the Centre and bring an end to your perennial problem,” she said.

Congress MP A.H. Khan Choudhury (Dalu) on Saturday led a delegation of MLAs to the office of Malda district administration seeking suitable rehabilitation of erpsion-hit families. The Congress demanded that the state and the central governments work together to address erosion in Kaliachak-III block that has virtually ruined hundreds of families.

“I visited those areas and experienced their catastrophe. This is not the time to pass the buck to each other. I have written to the chief minister and Prime Minister urging them to work together to save the people,” said Choudhury.’

The state irrigation department and district administration have also taken up the matter with FBP authorities.

Fake note arrests

Two persons were arrested with fake Indian currency notes (FICN) to the tune of Rs 3 lakh from Englishbazar here on Friday night.

Alok Rajoria, the superintendent of police, Malda district, said: “Abu Bakkar, 19, and Dalu Mia, 18, were arrested following a tip-off and FICN amounting Rs 3 lakh — all in denomination of Rs 2,000 — were seized from their possession. The duo have been taken into custody for further grilling.”

The police sources said the duo was trying to hand over the FICN to some other peddlers.