Trinamool leaders follow Abhishek, donate for flood relief in North Bengal

Several leaders of the Trinamool Congress followed Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and contributed to flood relief in North Bengal after the party’s second-in-command donated ₹ 1 lakh to the State government.

Floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains on October 5 ravaged Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and other parts of North Bengal, leaving more than 30 people dead and thousands left homeless.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited the district twice in the last two weeks and reviewed rehabilitation efforts to provide relief to people affected by the natural disaster. The State government under Ms. Banerjee has sought donations under the West Bengal State Disaster Management Authority (WBSDMA) Fund for flood relief.

Responding to the Prime Minister’s call for help, the Diamond Harbor MP appealed to everyone to step up and help rebuild shattered lives by donating ₹1 lakh for flood relief.

“Unpredictable floods and landslides have devastated parts of northern districts of West Bengal, causing immense suffering and causing serious loss of lives, livelihoods and property…. In solidarity with the people of my state, I have contributed ₹ 1,00,000 to the WBSDMA Fund. In these testing times, every act of kindness matters. I appeal to everyone to come forward and contribute generously to stand with those who have lost so much. This is man-made tragedy,” Mr. Banerjee had posted on social media.

After Mr Banerjee donated ₹ 1 lakh, senior Trinamool leaders like Mahua Moitra, Derek O’Brien, Ritabrata Banerjee and MPs like Prakash Chik Baraik each contributed ₹ 1 lakh to the relief fund. Party MPs announced their contributions on social media.

Others, including MLAs Paresh Chandra Adhikary, Khokan Das and Nisith Kumar Malik, also donated to WBSDMA and posted the information on social media.

The West Bengal government has also appointed a State-level Task Force for relief, restoration and reconstruction of flood-affected areas in North Bengal. On Saturday, October 18, the task force held its first meeting where State Government Ministers and senior officials met.

According to the Darjeeling State government, 19 relief shelters accommodating 640 people are in operation and distribution of essential supplies is ongoing. ‘More than 200 damage assessment teams and 21 outreach camps are assisting in housing and infrastructure damage assessment and reissuance of documents,’ a statement from West Bengal said on Saturday.