Mamata vows post-poll action on Ghatal flooding

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accompanied by Ghatal MP Dipak Adhikari (popularly known as Dev), visits flood-affected areas in Ghatal to assess the damage and interact with residents impacted by the inundation

- BISWABRATA GOSWAMI

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday visited flood-ravaged Ghatal in West Midnapore, wading through ankle-deep waters to address a crisis that has gripped the region year after year.

With roads submerged and homes marooned, the CM took direct aim at the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) and the BJP-led central government for what she called their "chronic apathy" towards the people of south Bengal.

"There will be action," Miss Banerjee declared, her voice rising over the sloshing waters of an inundated lane in Ghatal town. "We have waited 20 years for the Ghatal Master Plan. The Centre has done nothing. Now, post the 2026 Assembly elections, we will take matters into our own hands."

Miss Banerjee's visit, flanked by Ghatal MP and actor Dev, district magistrate Khurshid Ali Qadri, and superintendent of police Dhritiman Sarkar, came as large parts of West Midnapore continued to reel under the effects of relentless monsoon rainfall and the sudden discharge of water from DVC reservoirs.

"This is not just a natural disaster—it is a man-made catastrophe," Miss Banerjee alleged. "Whenever it rains in Nepal, North Bengal is submerged. And whenever the DVC releases water from Panchet and Maithon, South Bengal sinks."