Fresh floods kill 14 in West Bengal
By Sanjay Garg | Sat, 10/08/2005 - 06:14
Kolkata--Fresh floods have flooded some parts of West Bengal thereby killing 14.
Fresh wave of floods, claimed 14 lives in six West Bengal districts in the last eight days, even as the situation improved on Friday with the water level receding in major rivers, state's Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta said.
The deaths were reported from South and North Dinajpur, South and North 24 Parganas and East and West Midnapore districts where nearly three lakh people had been affected, he said.
The situation in the districts, worsened by the rising rivers due to rains, had eased to some extent, he said.
Relief and rehabilitation work had been undertaken in all the districts, particularly South Dinajpur, where BSF assistance was sought to rescue marooned people.
Irrigation Minister Biswanath Choudhury was touring some flood affected areas in South Dinajpur district, particularly Balurghat, which was limping back to normal with those sheltered in relief camps returning home.
Choudhury was personally supervising the relief measures in Balurghat, worst hit by the rains.
Dasgupta said relief materials including foodgrains and tarpaulins had been rushed to the flood-hit districts.
Nearly 200 houses collapsed and several Durga puja pandals damaged in the rains which swept the area for the last few days.
The rains also had its toll in the bird population in Kulik bird sanctuary in North Dinajpur district where more than 1000 migratory birds perished.
Incessant rains affected normal life in North Bengal districts of CoochBehar, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Malda.
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