Teesta enters rural poll campaign

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee may have turned the waters of the Teesta into a contentious issue, but for her party, Teesta is a success story in the panchayat polls.

Erosion caused by

the Teesta, lack of progress in the Teesta Barrage Project in the past three decades and the deplorable condition of the bridges over the river, such as the bridge on NH31D, have been highlighted by Trinamul leaders for several years.

But this year, Mamata’s refusal to share Teesta water with Bangladesh was the best thing that happened to the river and the people living on its banks in a long time, Trinamul claims.

The party also claims that the new government has worked to prevent erosion and flooding by the river and has planned a tourist hub on the river.

“We are highlighting Teesta as one of our success stories,” said north Bengal development minister Gautam Deb.

“Our government vehemently opposed the Centre’s decision to provide additional water to Bangladesh. In the past two years, this government could bring in more arable land under the Teesta Barrage Project. We could carry out flood protection measures and have even retrieved land that was gobbled up by the river earlier by constructing embankments,” he added.

Mamata Banerjee had earned the displeasure of both the UPA government and Bangladesh for refusing to share Teesta water with the neighbouring country.

The river, which originates in north Sikkim as a trickle, runs through almost the entire length of the state and widens as it plunges into the plains of north Bengal at Sevoke Bazar, 20km from Siliguri.

It flows through the Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar districts before entering Bangladesh to merge with the Brahmaputra.

The river crosses Rajganj, Sadar and Mainaguri blocks of Jalpaiguri and Mekhliganj and Haldibari blocks of Cooch Behar.

“People appreciate when we refer to our chief minister’s refusal (to share the Teesta water) and her desire to help farmers of north Bengal with the water. We have also released water on the left bank of the river through canals that are linked to the river at Gazoldoba,” said Khageswar Roy, the Trinamul MLA of Rajganj.

Trinamul leaders, especially from Rajganj, are talking about the state’s plan to develop a mega tourism hub in Gazoldoba, where the barrage on the river is, costing around Rs 1,800 crore through a private-public partnership.

Tenders for the project would be floated soon, said a state tourism official.

“It is the largest tourism project planned in north Bengal on the bank of the Teesta. We are highlighting the prospects of employment of local educated youths. Rajganj is an agricultural belt with only a handful of industrial units. Opening of this mega tourism hub would generate employment, right from the commencement of the construction,” Deb said.

“Unlike earlier years, when officials and contractors of the irrigation department would only come when the river would swell during the monsoons and gobble up our land, in the past two years, we have seen repair and construction of embankments,” said Rathin Burman, a resident of Gourikon in Rajganj block.

The state irrigation department could reclaim 20acre of fertile land that was washed away by the Teesta in Gourikon, situated on the bank of the river.

But Brojen Roy of Mondolghat, 30km downstream in Jalpaiguri Sadar block, is sceptical.

“We cannot simply believe the promises made by Trinamul leaders. During the Left Front rule we saw CPM leaders speaking in a similar manner but nothing was done. Mamata Banerjee has rightly refused providing additional water to Bangladesh, without there being a prior assessment of the farmers’ needs for water. We do not have proper irrigation facilities. We mostly use Teesta water in our fields that are on the river banks.”

Congress and Left Front leaders in Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri districts dismissed many claims made by the Trinamul.

“The Gazoldoba tourism hub is yet to turn into reality and we have serious doubts about the project. Regarding the anti-erosion measures, Trinamul has done nothing exemplary in the past two years. Even last year, there was huge loss of property after the Teesta floods. Several areas in Rajganj, Jalpaiguri and Mekhliganj were flooded,” Salil Acharya, a district CPM leader of Jalpaiguri, said. “Our state government had invested hundreds of crores in the Teesta Barrage Project,” he added.

“Because of shortage of funds we could not expedite the task of the canal network. Trinamul could use only a part of the funds allocated by the Centre. There should have been more progress,” Acharya said.

The Centre has allocated Rs 3,000 crore and one fourth of the amount has already been dispersed to the irrigation department for the Teesta Barage Project.

Congress leaders said the recent work was possible because of funds from the Centre.

“Whatever embankment repair or construction work was carried out recently, they are projects planned by our leader and former state minister Manas Bhunia. He was the irrigation minister from May 2011 to September 2012,” Biswaranjan Sakrar, a Congress leader from Jalpaiguri, said. “Funds for the barrage project are being released by the Centre since 2009. But Trinamul leaders conveniently forget that during their campaigns.”