West Bengal floods 'beyond control'; Mamata Banerjee blames DVC

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee spent Sunday night at her office in Nabanna, the secretariat, to closely monitor the flood situation across the state in the aftermath of Cyclone Komen.

Sources say that Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Banerjee over the phone and assured all help to the state.

Banerjee was at her office from 8 pm Sunday night and asked for minute by minute updates on the flood situation from district officials. At 11 pm, Banerjee spoke with the District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police in each district and took stock of the situation.

While addressing media persons at Nabanna on Sunday evening, she claimed that the flood situation was 'beyond control' and blamed Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) for releasing water from its barrage, leaving several districts flooded.

In the last 24 hours, as much as 1,20,000 cusec of water released from the DVC barrage and 1,10,000 cusec from the Durgapur barrage has left even high-lying areas flooded.

"The situation is beyond control. The water released from Jharkhand and Odisha is leaving areas flooded. Water released from DVC has worsened the situation. We love them, but it does not mean that they will submerge the state," said Banerjee.

Meanwhile, the army and NDRF teams have been deployed at Kalna in Burdwan where the situation is taking a turning for the worse every day. The districts that have been worst-hit are Burdwan, Birbhum, Murshidabad, Hooghly and Howrah.

So far, the state government has set up over 900 relief camps where 1,19,030 people rendered homeless have taken shelter.

However, there is rising anger among people due to relief items not reaching the interiors of the state. Concerned about the present relief operations, the Chief Minister has asked her ministers to visit the districts and monitor rescue and relief operations.