Thaindian News

Kolkata, June 4 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Saturday said land will be acquired under a special project for building embankments along rivers in Sunderbans areas devestated by the 2009 cyclone Aila.

“Forcible acquisition of land is against our policy but construction of embankments is essential, we have decided to declare it a special project and give compensation to the land owners at market price along with a government job to one member of their family,” she said.

“We have also planned to give a monthly payment to land owners so that their livelihood is not affected,” said Banerjee.

On May 25, 2009, cyclone Aila hit India and Bangaldesh killing 138 people in West Bengal. The Sundarbans - which cover most of South 24 Parganas district and parts of North 24 Parganas - bore the brunt of the calamity.

The government recently set up a two-member panel for preparing a land bank and chalk out land policies.

“But they will require two months time to prepare these. As it is essential to construct embankments in the Alia devastated areas before the onset of monsoon, we have decided to declare it a special project,” she said.

“Gosaba and Sunderbans (West Bengal’s delta region covering parts of North and South 24 Parganas districts) were largely devastated by Aila. The central government had then given money for the construction of embankments. The money remains unused till date,” she said.

Other than the construction of embankment, the government issued notification for setting up committees for taking up projects like cleansing rivers, rain water harvesting, drought control and disaster management, said Banerjee.

The Sunderbans is the largest single block of tidal mangrove forest in the world covering 10,000 sq km, of which 4,000 sq km are in West Bengal and the rest in Bangladesh. It was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1997.