Mamata Banerjee accuses Bhutan of causing floods in West Bengal

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday claimed that water flowing down from adjoining Bhutan caused floods in north Bengal and sought compensation from the Himalayan kingdom, PTI reported.

The chief minister, who is visiting the natural disaster-hit region to oversee relief and rehabilitation work, said at Nagrakata in Jalpaiguri district that the losses occurred owing to rainwater flowing down from Bhutan through various rivers.

"We have faced losses due to water coming down from Bhutan... We want them to give us compensation," Banerjee said in a short address during a government programme.

"I have been insisting on setting up an Indo-Bhutan Joint River Commission for some time now, and I demand that West Bengal be made part of it. Under our pressure, there's a meeting scheduled on the 16th of this month, and our officers will attend that," she added, alleging that the Centre has deprived the state of monetary assistance for handling calamities.

Banerjee visited multiple relief camps in the Bamandanga area of Nagrakata in Jalpaiguri district, one of the worst-affected areas due to heavy rain on October 4, which flooded the region and caused widespread damage to life and property in the upper reaches of Darjeeling and its foothills.

"We will conduct a survey of the houses that have been washed away once the floodwaters recede completely and will take measures to rebuild them," she assured the victims currently lodged in the camps.

At least 32 people have been killed and thousands left homeless in landslides and floods in the northern districts of West Bengal.