Mamata Banerjee rushes to north Bengal as floods disrupt life; NH-10 cut off | Kolkata

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee rushed to north Bengal on Sunday afternoon as life in the Darjeeling-Kalimpong hill region and five more districts in the plains continued to be affected by incessant rainfall and floods.

“It is the Centre’s responsibility to take measures that control floods. Unfortunately, they have taken no action. Not only that, Bengal has not received a single penny for relief work. We are doing everything with our own funds,” Banerjee told the media in Siliguiri town after holding a meeting with officials from Darjeeling, Kalimpong, North Dinajpur, Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Malda and Murshidabad districts.

“NH-10, which connects Bengal and Sikkim, has been damaged at several places. The Army maintains the road since it uses it. Our chief secretary will talk to Army officials and urge them to start repair work as soon as the water recedes,” Banerjee said.

“The floods in Malda and Murshidabad would have been less severe had the Centre dredged the Ganga river bed at Farakka. No dredging has been done in years,” said the chief minister.

She also distributed monetary compensation for people from the flood affected regions.

Life in the Darjeeling and Kalimpong hills continues to remain difficult as landslides have damaged NH-10 at several locations in the last few days. Vehicular movement on the highway, which serves as the lifeline of Sikkim and Kalimpong, has been suspended since September 16. The highway was opened on Monday but only for a few hours.

Landslides have also affected the alternate road via Panbu since Friday. The only unaffected route connecting Sikkim and Kalimpong with the rest of the country is the one through Gorubathan and Lava in Kalimpong district.

Balasubramaniam T, the district magistrate of Kalimpong, said: “NH-10 remains closed. The Panbu road was opened for traffic movement on Sunday.”

People visiting Kalimpong from places such as Teesta Bazar and Mangmaya have been stranded since Friday because of landslides at Labarbotey and Chitrey.

Ramesh Rai, a resident of Mangmaya in Darjeeling district, said, “I have not been able to return home since Friday.”

The situation improved slightly on Sunday as rain stopped and water level in the Teesta river receded. However, fresh landslides were reported from Mam Khola, Malli and Rangpo.

“Only light vehicles are being allowed to pass through these places,” a police official said.

Heavy rains in Sikkim over the last three days have triggered multiple landslides in several areas, officials said. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert on Sunday, forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall over the next two days.

Due to the sudden change in weather, some places in North Sikkim along Lachen and Lachung valley experienced the season’s first snowfall on Sunday, much before the onset of winter.

“Multiple landslides and unprecedented snowfall over the last few days have caused disruption in socio-economic activities,” a statement issued by the Army’s Border Roads Organisation said.