West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has blamed the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) for the flooding in the state, describing the north Bengal floods as “man-made”.

She announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh and a government job to the next of kin of those who lost their lives in the North Bengal disaster.

Before departing for Bagdogra airport on her way to the flood-affected region, Banerjee told reporters that she had received information about 23 deaths in north Bengal.

“Rs. 5 lakh and a government job in the Home Guard will be given to the kin of the deceased. Though money cannot compensate for the loss of life, this is our social obligation,” she said.

The Chief Minister said Mirik and Nagrakata were the worst affected areas, while Dhupguri, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Jorebunglow, and Kalimpong also suffered extensive damage.

Banerjee announced that 45 Volvo buses would be requisitioned for the safe passage of stranded tourists, with the government bearing all related expenses.

She added that upstream water from Bhutan and Assam had inundated large parts of north Bengal.

“We had requested the Bhutan government to release water slowly. They responded, though it was not exactly an apology,” Banerjee said.

She further alleged that the DVC was trying to save Jharkhand by releasing water into Bengal.

“I have no problem with that, but how much water can we contain? What happened in north Bengal is a combination of man-made floods and excessive rainfall,” she remarked.

Banerjee questioned the utility of dams such as Panchet, Maithon, and Durgapur barrage if their water releases continued to flood the state each year.

“It is better not to have such dams from the DVC and let the waters flow on their natural course, so that every state shares the flow evenly,” she said, adding that the situation might have been better without the dams.

She also pointed out that there had been no de-siltation of Farakka, Maithon, Panchet, and Durgapur barrage for the past 20 years.