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Centre, Bengal Share Funds for Long-Delayed Ghatal Flood Plan
Ghatal and nearby areas often stay underwater during the rainy season.
The land is shaped like a bowl, so floodwater cannot escape easily.
A plan to solve this problem was created in 1979.
It would use rivers and canals to carry the water to the Rupnarayan river.
The plan was delayed for many years because the state and central governments disagreed about funding and responsibility.
The Centre has now agreed to pay half of the project cost, according to the announcement.
The state says it has allocated ₹700 crore, while the Centre has allocated ₹500 crore this year.
Officials expect the project to cost at least ₹1,500 crore overall.
The government hopes the work will be completed by 2028.
The Centre has reportedly approved funding for 50% of the Ghatal Master Plan’s total cost.
West Bengal has allocated ₹700 crore and the Centre ₹500 crore, totaling ₹1,200 crore for the current financial year.
The plan, first prepared in 1979, aims to reduce recurring floods in Ghatal and nearby areas.
The project would drain floodwater through rivers and canals into the Rupnarayan river.
The government hopes to begin major work after the Puja and complete the project by 2028.
- Who
- West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, the West Bengal government, and the Government of India are involved in the project.
- What
- The governments have approved and funded work on the long-delayed Ghatal Master Plan to reduce flooding.
- Where
- Ghatal and adjoining areas of West Midnapore and East Midnapore, West Bengal.
- When
- The announcement was made on Wednesday; work is expected to accelerate after the Puja, with completion targeted for 2028.
- Why
- The region experiences recurring, prolonged flooding because its bowl-like terrain prevents floodwater from draining quickly.
Government funding and implementation account
Delay and cost concerns
Responsibility for financing
Government funding and implementation account
Suvendu Adhikari said the Centre would provide 50% of the project cost and the state would provide the remaining 50%.
Delay and cost concerns
The article says the Centre had previously declined to contribute, while the former state government had said it would complete the project itself.
Project timetable
Government funding and implementation account
The government expects work to begin quickly after the Puja and aims to complete the project by 2028.
Delay and cost concerns
Officials cautioned that the project could cost more than ₹1,500 crore because the flooding problem has worsened and more areas are now affected.
Key facts
- Project
- Ghatal Master Plan
- Original plan
- Drawn up in 1979
- Current allocation
- ₹1,200 crore for the ongoing financial year
- Reported central contribution
- ₹500 crore
- Reported state contribution
- ₹700 crore
- Estimated total cost
- Around ₹1,500 crore in a 2024 estimate, with officials saying it may rise
- Target completion
- 2028
- Proposed drainage route
- Small rivers and canals leading to the Rupnarayan river
Quotes
Suvendu Adhikari
Chief minister who announced the funding arrangement and project plans
“The Ghatal Master Plan, which in the past existed only in speeches (during the previous government), has now received approval from the government of India. The Centre will provide 50 per cent of the funds, while the state government will provide the remaining 50 per cent. We will also receive some funds from disaster management.”
telegraphindia.com
“We will work towards a permanent solution here. People have voted for this. The chief minister is a son of the soil of undivided Midnapore, and it is his responsibility to free the flood-affected people of this region from the problem.”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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