Kolkata: Residents of erosion-hit areas in Malda and Murshidabad could begin to see the impact of anti-erosion measures within a year, chief minister Suvendu Adhikari said after a high-level meeting at the Union Jal Shakti ministry in New Delhi on Tuesday.The meeting of the Ganga Flood Control Commission, chaired by Union Jal Shakti minister C R Patil and attended by representatives of Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand, focused on urgent dredging across the Ganga basin and inter-state coordination to expedite erosion-control measures.The urgency is particularly acute in Ratua and Manikchak in Malda, where the Ganga has shifted nearly 6 km over five decades. The distance between the Ganga and the Fulhar river has narrowed to around 750 metres. Experts have warned that the two rivers could merge within six to seven years, potentially threatening Farakka Barrage, Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port and parts of Malda town.Bengal has submitted a detailed project proposal worth around Rs 1,550 crore to the Centre, with the state’s proposed contribution at Rs 610 crore. Technical inputs are being sought from IIT Roorkee and IIT Kanpur. At least 45 km of riverbank has been identified for urgent erosion-control work.According to Nabanna sources, nine spurs are planned along the Ganga — four in Bihar and five in Bengal. Bihar has approved the proposal. Bengal also needs to construct five spurs, build bank-protection structures and undertake 16 km of dredging along the right bank to reactivate a palaeochannel and direct the river towards Rajmahal in Jharkhand.“I have sought the intervention of the minister for providing the NOC from the Jharkhand govt for facilitating this work which will curb erosion in Ratua and Manikchak. Patil Ji has assured to do the needful in this regard,” Adhikari said.He said the Union minister had directed his secretary to release Rs 500 crore for the work, subject to completion of the detailed project report and other formalities.“All problems will be resolved. You will start seeing results within a year. Within two years, the changes will be visible, and within five years, you will see a ‘Sonar Bangla’ in the true sense,” he said.
