It began like a whisper — a faint drizzle on tin rooftops, the sound of rain on the leaves, the quiet promise of a monsoon that had overstayed its welcome. By dawn, that whisper had turned into a roar. Hills crumbled, rivers rose, and the people of North Bengal once again stood face to face with the fury of nature.
The visit of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh to India in end June this year raised the Teesta water sharing issue again in public domain with strong opposition from the Government of West Bengal for various reasons.
The chief coordinator of the movement, Narendra Kumar Tamang, stated that they will continue their correspondence with these ministries and departments on 15 July.
The Teesta river, currently swollen from heavy monsoon rains, has begun to engulf large portions of its banks in various areas of Jalpaiguri district since last night.
The task of managing silt build-up in the rivers of Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts has become increasingly difficult for engineers working in the irrigation and waterways department.
These letters address the Teesta disaster and its impact on the public, highlighting issues such as basic needs, public grievances, and crisis management.
In the Malbazar block in Jalpaiguri, places like Bagrakote and a nearby village have been flooded by the Lis river, which experienced heavy rain in its catchment area last night.
The administration took such decision after the death of a minor boy at Chapadanga village in Kranti under Jalpaiguri district yesterday.
Most importantly, the government helmed by Begum Hasina has taken exception to the fact that Bangladesh had not been informed in advance before the ban on the export of onions was imposed.
While the world concentrates on lions, gorillas and elephants being decimated, the giraffe is almost extinct. In the last 15 years the population of giraffes has fallen by 40 per cent. Now there are less than 80,000 left.
