Other States - Kolkata   

Paschim Medinipur worst hit by drought: Buddhadeb

KOLKATA: Paschim Medinipur district is the worst affected by the drought that has hit 11 districts of West Bengal, said Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee after a meeting with officials in Midnapore on Monday.

Mr. Bhattacharjee, who has been visiting some of the drought-hit districts in south Bengal over the past three days, said the situation was perhaps the gravest in Paschim Medinipur district.

“Out of an expected 5.44 lakh hectares, cultivation is possible on only 2.27 lakh hectares in the district. This amounts to only 42 per cent of the area in question,” he told journalists after reviewing the drought caused by deficit rainfall.

The worst-hit areas were the western parts of the district that include the Jhargram sub-division, Mr. Bhattacharjee added.

He said the immediate task was to protect whatever crop was there by ensuring that all the deep, shallow tube-wells and pump sets used for small irrigation facilities are operational and power supply is available to keep them running.

Where paddy cultivation is not possible because of the shortage in rainfall, steps would have to be taken to prepare for an early rabi crop for which mini-kits need to be distributed on time.

He also stressed the need for generation of employment under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.

The Zilla Parishad had already disbursed Rs. 20 crore as payment and there are serious fund constraints at the district and block levels, Mr. Bhattacharjee said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Paschim Medinipur worst hit by drought: Buddhadeb

Copyright © 2010, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu