While Mamata said the border was being closed to pre-empt cars being swept away by surging floodwaters on this side of the border, Soren-led JMM threatened retaliation over Bengal Police barring trucks and other commercial vehicles from Jharkhand beyond Dhanbad-West Burdwan border in Kulti .
"I called DVC chairperson (S Suresh Kumar) and spoke to Jharkhand CM Soren, urging them not to release water... This cannot be allowed," the CM said, pointing out that 26 people had died in the floods and 2.5 lakh people displaced.
Mamata alleged that DVC hadn't been providing details of how much water was being released from dams in the neighbouring state. Senior officials in several of Bengal's westernmost districts said police checkpoints had been set up along the border with Jharkhand and all inbound vehicles were being stopped, barring any emergency.
Mamata, who visited East Midnapore 's Panskura and Howrah's Udaynarayanpur Thursday to survey the flood damage, later held an emergency meeting at the state secretariat with chief secretary Manoj Pant, DGP Rajeev Kumar and other senior officers. "Even Durga Puja pandals are under water," the CM said.
"Why should Bengal always suffer? Why will DVC always try to keep Jharkhand safe? I need to protect Bengal," she said. "This flooding is not because of rain. It is because of the absence of any desilting or dredging despite my appeals to PM Narendra Modi."
DVC executive director Anjani Dubey said the PSU had "reduced the release of water, corresponding to reduction in rainfall". Denying Banerjee's accusations, the Centre said all norms were followed while releasing water from DVC. The Jal Shakti ministry and power ministry said all parties concerned were kept informed about the weather conditions likely to prevail from Sept 14-16 and the release of water.
(With inputs from Suman Mandal in Panskura & Rupak Banerjee in Howrah)
"I called DVC chairperson (S Suresh Kumar) and spoke to Jharkhand CM Soren, urging them not to release water... This cannot be allowed," the CM said, pointing out that 26 people had died in the floods and 2.5 lakh people displaced.
Mamata alleged that DVC hadn't been providing details of how much water was being released from dams in the neighbouring state. Senior officials in several of Bengal's westernmost districts said police checkpoints had been set up along the border with Jharkhand and all inbound vehicles were being stopped, barring any emergency.
Mamata, who visited East Midnapore 's Panskura and Howrah's Udaynarayanpur Thursday to survey the flood damage, later held an emergency meeting at the state secretariat with chief secretary Manoj Pant, DGP Rajeev Kumar and other senior officers. "Even Durga Puja pandals are under water," the CM said.
"Why should Bengal always suffer? Why will DVC always try to keep Jharkhand safe? I need to protect Bengal," she said. "This flooding is not because of rain. It is because of the absence of any desilting or dredging despite my appeals to PM Narendra Modi."
DVC executive director Anjani Dubey said the PSU had "reduced the release of water, corresponding to reduction in rainfall". Denying Banerjee's accusations, the Centre said all norms were followed while releasing water from DVC. The Jal Shakti ministry and power ministry said all parties concerned were kept informed about the weather conditions likely to prevail from Sept 14-16 and the release of water.
(With inputs from Suman Mandal in Panskura & Rupak Banerjee in Howrah)
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