Latest news with #ManasRanjanBhunia
The Hindu
31-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Tripartite river management project between West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand in the works: West Bengal Minister
The Minister of Irrigation and Waterways in West Bengal, Manas Ranjan Bhunia, on Thursday (July 31, 2025), announced that West Bengal is planning a 'mega river management project' with Bihar and Jharkhand, for the Gangetic plains of Malda and Murshidabad districts. 'A coordination meeting was held between Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal and the Ganga Flood Control Commission (GFCC) in Patna on July 24 this year. GFCC estimated that the brunt of the river lies 80% on West Bengal, 15% on Jharkhand and the rest on Bihar. They asked the three States to submit Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for erosion abatement. West Bengal is ready,' Mr Bhunia said on Thursday. He added that West Bengal has planned a project worth ₹610 crores, particularly in the Malda and Murshidabad districts, through which the Ganga enters West Bengal and takes a southward turn to the Bay of Bengal as the Bhagirathi-Hooghly River. 'The Ganga flows down from north India, passes through Bihar and Jharkhand, and slams against the Ratua 1 block of Katahadiara in Malda district with heavy flow and momentum. The land here is getting increasingly engulfed by the river. The lives and livelihoods of people are threatened,' Mr Bhunia said. The Minister explained that the proposed project would include measures for erosion abatement, flood management, dredging, and strengthening of the embankment, and aims to start with bank protection work and building five spurs in a 5 km stretch in Ratua from December this year. 'The idea is to control the velocity and momentum of the Ganga by draining out some portion of the river from the more vulnerable left bank in Bihar and West Bengal, to the more stable right bank towards Jharkhand, and reduce its impact particularly on Ratua block,' Mr Bhunia said. He added that the GFCC advised Jharkhand and Bihar to accord West Bengal 'no objection' to carry out dredging in a 15 km area in Jharkhand's Sakrigali. West Bengal losing land According to the Irrigation Minister, the problem of extreme river erosion and flooding in this State has existed since India's independence, with around 3,394.8 hectares of land in West Bengal being engulfed by the Ganga between 2005 and 2024. 'The entire stretch of river spanning 163.5 km through Malda, Murshidabad, and Nadia districts is very prone to erosion. The abatement of river erosion cannot be handled by West Bengal alone. It is a national problem,' Mr Bhunia said. The West Bengal government carried out anti-erosion work in Malda and Murshidabad earlier, with six different activities ongoing for a total length of 6.83 km for ₹58.77 crores. The Chief Minister had earlier written to the Prime Minister in 2022 about the severe extent of erosion, particularly in Malda's Manikchak block.
India Gazette
02-07-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
West Bengal Irrigation Minister condemns Kolkata gangrape case
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India] July 2 (ANI): West Bengal Irrigation Minister Manas Ranjan Bhunia has strongly condemned the alleged gangrape incident in Kasba, Kolkata. 'Our party strongly condemns the Kasba incident. I, Manas Bhunia, also strongly condemn it,' he said. Bhunia appreciated the police's prompt action in the case, saying that they had made immediate arrests. 'The police have taken prompt action and made immediate arrests. Our Chief Minister does not tolerate such incidents,' he added. The Minister also clarified his stance on previous comments that were reportedly linked to the incident. 'I would like to clarify that my previous comments were not related to the Kasba incident. They have been misrepresented and linked to the unfortunate incident in an attempt to malign and defame me. I reiterate - I strongly condemn this incident.' Bhunia said. In a video circulated on Facebook, Bhunia can be heard saying, 'As soon as a small incident happens in Bengal, there is a lot of noise, they say 'look the everything is gone.. such a destruction.'... Yes, incidents happen, and they happen within families too. Husbands are killing their wives, and wives are taking the help of their lovers to kill their husbands when they go on vacation. These are the crises of the society.' Earlier in the day, the father of one of the accused in the alleged gangrape case at a law college in Kolkata has expressed faith in the judiciary, saying that the court will decide the further course of action.'The matter is subjudice and investigation is underway. I have been saying from the beginning that I have faith in the judiciary. The court will decide the further course of action,' the man told ANI on Tuesday. He added that he trusts the state government, police, and administration, and is confident that the truth will come out during the investigation. Responding to claims that his son had previously registered cases against him, the man said, 'I trust the state government, police and the administration. People are saying there were cases already registered against my son, so why was he not arrested back then? I am sure the truth will come out...' On June 25, a female student was allegedly gangraped inside the South Calcutta Law College in Kasba area in the capital city of West Bengal. A four-member BJP fact-finding committee also visited Kolkata to assess the situation. The delegation includes former Union Ministers Satpal Singh and Meenakshi Lekhi, Lok Sabha MP Biplab Kumar Deb, and Rajya Sabha MP Manan Kumar Mishra. The main accused in the case, Manojit Mishra, has been taken into custody along with three others. The SIT continues to probe the matter. (ANI)
The Hindu
24-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Two lakh people affected by Ghatal floods, thousands evacuated: West Bengal Minister
The West Bengal Minister for Irrigation and Waterways, Manas Ranjan Bhunia, said earlier this week that nearly 2,00,000 people have been affected by the floods in Ghatal, Paschim Medinipur district, and roughly 2,000 people have been evacuated by the State. Ghatal and adjoining areas like Garbeta and Chandrakona in Paschim Medinipur district are flood prone. The floods were caused by heavy rainfall and the release of water from reservoirs, which led the Silabati and Dwarakeshwar rivers to break their banks. This year too, severe damage has been caused to residential areas, roads, and agricultural land in parts of Paschim Medinipur, Howrah, Hooghly, and Bankura districts following heavy rainfall and the release of water by the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) last week. The Minister said the flood crisis in Ghatal has been 'the worst since 1978,' and over 100 villages have been affected. Two persons drowned, Mr. Bhunia confirmed, adding that the flood is receding now. Centre delayed funds He also reiterated his grievances against the Centre for allegedly not releasing funds for the 'Ghatal Master Plan' — a flood management initiative by the West Bengal government to improve conditions in the low-lying flood-prone areas of Paschim Medinipur and Purba Medinipur districts. However, on Tuesday (June 24, 2025), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused the Trinamool of not implementing the project despite the sanction of funds by the Centre. 'GOI had already sanctioned ₹1,200 crore for the project back in 2022, which was later increased to ₹1,500 crore. As per the agreement, 60% of the funding was to come from the Centre and 40% from the state,' BJP leader Dilip Ghosh said. CM accused of apathy He accused the Mamata Banerjee government of 'negligence, apathy, and incapability' in executing the Ghatal Master Plan. Notably, responding to a question by Ghatal's Trinamool MP Dev Adhikari in December 2023, the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti said that while the Government of India accorded investment clearance for the project in 2022, 'No funds have been provided by the Central Government as the project has not been included for funding as part of any scheme of the Ministry of Jal Shakti.' On Tuesday (June 24, 2025), BJP MLA Hiranmoy Chattopadhyaya wrote to the Prime Minister urgently requesting relief assistance for the flood-affected people of Ghatal. 'On 22nd June, I personally visited the affected areas in Ghatal and was devastated to witness that there were no rescue boats, no proper arrangements, nor any effective intervention on the ground from the concerned authorities… State government has failed to act adequately or responsibly,' he wrote in his letter.
