West Bengal announces ₹1,200 crore for flood-control plan in Ghatal

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has announced that ₹1,200 crore will be allocated during the current financial year for the Ghatal Master Plan, which is intended to reduce recurring floods in the region. Adhikari made the announcement on Wednesday at a gathering in Birsingha, in Paschim Medinipur district, after paying tribute to Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar on his 207th birth anniversary. He said the Centre would provide 50% of the funding and the State government would meet the remaining cost.

The Disaster Management Department would also provide some money for acquiring land, he said. The chief minister directed local legislators and officials to speed up work. He said implementation should proceed on a “war footing” after Durga Puja and be completed by June next year, before the monsoon season begins.

The Ghatal Master Plan is designed to improve drainage and channel excess water through canals and rivers into the Rupnarayan River. It covers 11 blocks and five municipalities across the Purba Medinipur and Paschim Medinipur districts, an area of about 1,659 square kilometres. The project spans five Assembly constituencies and three Lok Sabha constituencies.

It was initially estimated at ₹50 crore, but remained unimplemented for nearly five decades and its projected cost later rose to about ₹1,500 crore. Adhikari also criticised the previous Trinamool Congress government, blaming what he described as faulty policies for West Bengal’s decline in education rankings. He said the State was now ranked 31st among States and Union territories and cited child marriage and adolescent motherhood as further concerns.

The supplied material does not say when construction on the flood-control works will begin or identify specific targets for drainage improvements. The announced allocation represents the funding planned for the current financial year, while the overall estimated value of the plan is around ₹1,500 crore.