Bhutan Govt Should Compensate For North Bengal Floods: Mamata
Blaming the Centre for not clearing the dues for crisis management in case of natural calamities like floods, she said her government is shouldering it.
Published : October 13, 2025 at 6:15 PM IST
Kolkata: Accusing the Bhutan government of releasing water that caused the recent severe flooding in North Bengal, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday demanded that the neighbouring country pay compensation for the losses incurred.
"For a long time, we had been insisting on the formation of an Indo-Bhutan River Commission with representation from the state government. Because of the water released from Bhutan, North Bengal faced such a scale of disaster. We want the Bhutan government to pay compensation for the losses," she said in Nagrakata in Jalpaiguri district, where she has been reviewing the relief operations.
Banerjee visited multiple relief camps in the Bamandanga area of Nagrakata, 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.
She further claimed that because of the continuous pressure from her government, the Centre has decided to convene a meeting on this issue on October 16, where a representative from Bengal will present its case. Taking a dig at the Centre for not clearing the dues for crisis management in case of natural calamities like floods, she said, "We have to shoulder the entire expenditure in such cases since nothing comes from New Delhi."
Banerjee declared that the state government would provide Rs 1.20 lakh to each family whose homes were destroyed in the floods and landslides earlier this month. "We will repair the damaged bridges shortly. In case of crop damage, the concerned landowners will be provided with adequate compensation under the agriculture insurance scheme. Those affected will not have to bear any sort of financial burden since the state government will do whatever is necessary," she added.
Expressing concern over many people losing important documents in the devastation, she assured them that the state government was taking full responsibility for providing them with duplicates of such lost documents. "To ensure that the victims do not suffer further on account of loss of vital documents such as Aadhar Card, PAN card, land titles, etc., which have been washed away by the floodwaters, I urge them to register their losses at the ongoing camps so that the state government can reissue duplicate copies at the soonest," she said.
She handed over appointment letters for homeguards in the state police to one member from the 10 families in the region, who faced loss of lives. She said other affected families would also receive appointment letters in due course. Additionally, each affected family will be provided with a compensation of Rs five lakh by the state government.
At least 32 people have been killed and thousands left homeless in landslides and floods in the northern districts of West Bengal. Banerjee is currently on her second visit to north Bengal after the natural disaster hit the region and will be there till Friday.
[With agency inputs]
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