Suvendu Adhikari has announced a Rs 242 crore compensation package for 24,595 severely flood-affected families in Malda, while assigning IIT Kanpur the task of preparing a Detailed Project Report for a long-term solution to recurring Ganga erosion in the district.
The announcement was made at a relief distribution gathering in Manikchak after an aerial survey of flood- and erosion-hit areas. The compensation will cover severely affected areas in Manikchak, Ratua and English Bazar blocks. Families whose houses have suffered major structural damage will receive Rs 1.8 lakh, while those facing partial damage will receive Rs 90,000, according to the announcement reported by The Indian Express.
Adhikari said the compensation had been provided to 24,595 families and that the state government was treating the payment as immediate relief rather than the end of its response. He said he had examined devastated villages, roads and embankments during a 20-minute helicopter survey and recorded videos of the affected areas.
The announcement comes as flooding and riverbank erosion continue to affect settlements in parts of Malda. Villages in Bhutni in Manikchak, as well as areas of Ratua and English Bazar, were identified as affected. The damage to roads, embankments and homes highlights the combined challenge facing the district: emergency assistance is required immediately, but recurring erosion also requires an engineering and administrative response over a longer period.
For that purpose, the state government has tasked IIT Kanpur with preparing a DPR for a long-term engineering solution to Ganga erosion in the region. The report supplied by The Indian Express does not provide details of the proposed engineering measures, the project cost, the implementation agency or the timeline for completing the DPR.
Adhikari also said he would hold an administrative meeting in Kolkata after the event to address erosion-related problems in Ratua and Manikchak. The next stage of the response will therefore depend on the findings of the technical assessment and decisions taken by the administration on embankments, roads and affected settlements.
The relief package was accompanied by housing and welfare announcements. Adhikari said three lakh new rural housing units would be provided across Malda under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. He also said that 67,113 people had received the first instalment for house construction and that, after verification, the second instalment had been released to 56,760 families.
The announcement included a warning against fraudulent enrolments under the housing scheme. Adhikari further announced one lakh jobs within one year for eligible candidates, with representation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and persons with disabilities. The supplied report does not specify the departments, recruitment process or implementation schedule for the jobs announcement.
The immediate confirmed steps are the distribution of compensation, the preparation of the IIT Kanpur DPR and the proposed administrative meeting on erosion in Ratua and Manikchak. Details of the technical plan, project funding and execution timeline remain to be established.
