Woman, swept away by swollen Damodar river, rescued 45 km downstream in Bengal
In what locals described as a miraculous escape, a 65-year-old woman who was swept away by the swollen Damodar River amid heavy rains and water discharge from the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) was rescued alive nearly 45 km downstream, police said on Monday. Police said, “The incident took place at Jakta village in Burdwan’s Rayna area. The woman, identified as Maturi Tudu (65), had gone to bathe in Damodar river alone on Sunday afternoon. However, due to strong currents following DVC’s water release and rains, she was swept away.” With the combined efforts of police and villagers, she was rescued 45-50 km downstream and was taken to Jamalpur Rural Hospital, where doctors said she had fallen ill after being in the water for a prolonged period, police added. Later, she was shifted to Burdwan Medical College and Hospital for further treatment. “I went to bathe in the river when suddenly the current increased, and I was swept away. I somehow managed to hold onto something until villagers rescued me,” Tudu said. Jamalpur Block Trinamool Congress president Mehemud Khan said, “The elderly woman was admitted to hospital and later handed over to her family after police confirmed her identity. She survived purely by luck.”Police later escorted Tudu safely back to her home in Rayna. and rains,” he said.
Mamata blames Damodar Valley Corporation for floods; announces Rs 5 lakh solatium, job for kin of deceased
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.
Furious Mamata slams DVC over release of 1.5 lakh cusecs during Puja
Furious at the unilateral discharge of about 1.5 lakh cusecs of water by the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today accused the central agency of a deliberate ploy to unleash disaster on the people of the state during the festive season.Protesting against the DVC’s fresh release of water from different dams, Banerjee said, “This is a deliberate ploy to unleash disaster on us to inflict pain on millions when they are still busy in the Pujas. Shameful, intolerable, unacceptable! We protest!!”Giving an update on the “unilateral and wilful release of water” by the DVC, she said that by this evening, the agency had released more than 1.5 lakh cusecs of water from the Maithon and Panchet dams to flood Bengal during the festival period. She said it was a “manufactured disaster” after the DVC released water on Bijoya Dashami without prior notice to the state.Banerjee added that the sudden discharge endangered millions of lives during Durga Puja festivities.She described the move as “reckless” and “unacceptable,” accusing the central agency of disrupting peace and placing the state at high risk. “Bijoya Dashami marks the close of Durga Puja – a time for joy, cheer and renewed hope. Yet, instead of allowing the people of West Bengal to conclude the festival in peace, the DVC released water without any prior notice to the state. This reckless act is nothing short of an attempt to inflict misery during our sacred festivities,” the chief minister iterated. Banerjee said the act on the part of the DVC was”unilateral, shameful, and absolutely unacceptable”. “By releasing water without intimation, the DVC has placed millions of lives in Bengal in immediate peril. This is not a natural calamity; it is a disaster manufactured by the DVC,” she said.“Let me be clear, I will not allow anyone to carry out a Bisarjan of Bengal. Every conspiracy against our people will be resisted with full force. Truth will prevail over deceit and good will triumph over evil,” she concluded.Meanwhile, reports from the districts said that local administrations and disaster response teams sounded alerts after the DVC release and began evacuations in low-lying areas along rivers and canals.Officials reported rising water levels in several districts and moved residents from vulnerable zones to safer shelters.Puja organisers postponed or shifted immersion activities in affected places to avoid large gatherings near inundated riverbanks. State emergency services deployed boats and rescue teams to manage sudden waterlogging and assist in transporting the elderly and children away from risk zones during the holiday.
