Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee has attacked the Centre alleging it has kept secret
the fact about the two damaged sluice gates at the Farakka
Barrage resulting in Bangladesh getting more than its share of
water rpt of water.
"It seems that there is deliberate and highly
irresponsible move to keep the matter a secret. It was only
when the level of the Bhairathi river (in Murshidabad
district) started falling that we realised something was
amiss," Banerjee said in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh the contents of which were known on Saturday.
"There is a mischief afoot and a criminal conspiracy
cannot be ruled out," she said in her letter.
"It appears that Farakka Barrage water stock would
continue to be depleted with the sole beneficiary being
Bangladesh," her letter said.
She said Bangladesh was supposed to get 35,000 cusecs
during the dry season as per the Indo-Bangladesh Ganges water
agreement but it was getting 82,801 cusecs due to the drainage
of water from the Farakka barrage due to breaking down of two
sluice gates.
"Fall in water level will put in serious jeopardy the
Kolkata and Haldia ports due to increase in the level of
siltation and impediments in navigation channel adversely
affecting the lives of lakhs of people," the letter said.
Sluice gate number 13 of the barrage had broken down on
June 16 last year and gate number 16 on December 9, officials
said.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, March 18, 2012, 00:22