Flood situation grim in Cooch Behar, 4 dead

 

COOCH BEHAR, July 30: The overall flood situation is still grim in Cooch Behar district. Water level of all the major rivers is showing a rising trend from this noon. Additional district magistrate (general) of Cooch Behar Mr Pannalal Mahapatra said incessant downpour started at upper catchment areas of Bhutan and Sikkim from last night and following that the water level of the rivers were rising. Presently the water levels of the rivers are flowing a little below the danger mark. The ADM (G) said more than 1-lakh people were affected. About 30,000 flood-affected people are in the relief camps presently.

 

The floods claimed four lives in Cooch Behar district. This morning, an unidentified body of a man was recovered from the sandbank of Torsa at Madhupur. In Dooars the death toll is three till this afternoon.

 

A stretch of about 200-metre embankment of Gadadhar river at Darikamari village of Natabari in Tufanganj washed away last night. About 300 families were affected. The floodwater entered into the village and submerged about 3,000-bigha of farmland. Water is flowing over the Darikamari-Natabari road.

 

At Baxikuthi and Bhairaber-tari a 300-metre stretch of embankment was washed away yesterday. Ten dwelling houses were also washed away. About 1,000-acre farmland was affected by the floodwater. The area is a junction of three rivers – Kaljani, Gadadhar and Torsa. After visiting the area the president of district Trinamul Congress Mr Rabindra natha Ghosh alleged that the embankment was constructed last year with inferior quality of materials.

 

In another incident a 200-metre embankment of Torsa at Dakshin Dawaguri was washed away. The swelling river grabbed the graveyard of the area. Cooch Behar Zilla Parishad sabhadhipati Mr Jnanendra Chandra Chanda reviewed the flood situation in a meeting today. He instructed the irrigation division officials to repair the damaged embankments in war footing.

 

The situation of many areas in Tufanganj and Cooch Behar Sadar sub-divisions is still alarming. Two villages of Gitaldaha near Indo-Bangladesh border in Dinhata - Daribash and Jaridharla – are still lying disconnected by floodwater of Dharala river.

 

After visiting a number of flood-affected areas the district Trinamul Congress president Mr Rabindra Nath Ghosh demanded and high-level inquiry into diminishing of the embankments in every monsoon. He demanded arrest and punishment of the contractors and the officials concerned who were responsible for construction of the inferior embankments. He distributed relief materials among the distressed people yesterday and today.

 

ADM (G) Mr Mahapatra said that he sought help from the business community and other organisations for relief materials including baby food, medicines and water purifying materials. Meanwhile, Industrial Federation of Cooch Behar (IFC) donated baby food for 2,000 children today, said its secretary Mr Depak Mundra.

 

Rapist held

 

COOCH BEHAR, July 30: A man named Bimal Barman was arrested for raping an 8-year-old deaf-and-dumb girl at Kachamari village in Cooch Behar yesterday. Incidentally, the victim is a friend of the accused' daughter and he took that opportunity to commit the crime. Police sent the arrested man to the court today. []

 

Mahajot wins

 

COOCH BEHAR, July 30: Mahajot of Congress, Trinamul Congress and BJP won another Gram Panchayat in Cooch Behar. The Baneswar Gram Panchayat was a CPI-M dominated body with Ms Rina Ray as the pradhan. In the recent by-election Trinamul Congress candidates defeated two CPI-M candidates. Now the position of the parties are : Trinamul Congress – 3, BJP – 1, Congress – 5 and CPI-M – 7. Today, Congress candidate Ms Bina Ray won the pradhan's post by 9-7 votes. []

 

Timber seized

 

COOCH BEHAR, July 30: Acting on a tip-off Cooch Behar social forestry division officials seized sawn teakwood worth Rs 60,000 and arrested two persons from Rajarhat area yesterday. DFO (SF) Mr Apurba Sen and ADFO (SF) Mr SK Baroi led the operation. The arrested men were sent to court today. Mr Baroi said they seized two sawmills from Gouranga Bazar and Ghoksadanga a few days ago. Legal action was initiated against the owners of the illegal sawmills, he said. []