Prime Minister Narendra Modi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of eight people killed in flash floods during the immersion of Durga Puja idols in Mal river in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district. announced. Wednesday evening.
Eight people died in flash floods during the immersion of Durga Puja idols in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district on Wednesday evening.
₹ 2 lakh from PMNRF [Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund] Will be given to the next of kin of each of the deceased in the tragic accident that took place during Durga Puja festival in Jalpaiguri, West Bengal. ₹50,000 will be given to the injured,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a tweet.
Pointing to the death of eight people, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that 13 people are being treated at Mal Super Specialty Hospital. “Search and rescue operation by NDRF and SDRF is still on. About 70 people were rescued by the efforts of police, civil defense volunteers and local youth. I appreciate his selfless service,” the chief minister tweeted.
Rescue work was carried out in the river by disaster management teams on Thursday. Although locals have claimed that some people went missing after the floods, no bodies were recovered from the river that day while disaster management teams searched large areas. The state government has sought a report from the district administration in this matter.
In view of the tragedy, the district administration decided to call off the Durga Puja carnival in Jalpaiguri that was to be held on Saturday. The flash floods occurred on the Mal river at around 8.30 pm on Wednesday when hundreds of people had gathered on the banks of the river for idol immersion. Jalpaiguri District Magistrate Moumita Godara Basu said there was no local forecast of rain and disaster management personnel were present at the time of the floods.
Local Trinamool Congress MLA Bulu Chik Bariyak said the immersion of idols takes place at the site every year and this time due to rain in the upper catchment area of the river, the water suddenly increased. Locals from several tea gardens, who had organized Durga Puja, gathered on the banks of the river on Bijoy Dashami, which marked the conclusion of the five-day Durga Puja festival. Videos of the incident showed people running towards higher grounds while some of them were being swept away.
Meanwhile, BJP MP from Alipurduar John Barla and MLA in the state assembly and party’s chief whip Manoj Tigga raised questions on the preparedness of the district administration for the event. Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari demanded an increase in the ex-gratia amount to the family of the deceased, saying that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee should have personally handed over the compensation to the bereaved families.