West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Friday, unleashed a fierce critique of the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), accusing the central government-backed entity of sabotaging the state's sacred Bijoya Dashami celebrations through an unannounced deluge of water. In a social media post, Banerjee described the incident as a deliberate ploy to sow chaos during the triumphant close of Durga Puja, a festival that draws millions in devotion and economic fervour each year.
DVC's abrupt discharge of 65,000 cusecs from its reservoirs in Jharkhand, without alerting state authorities, triggered immediate flood alerts across southern Bengal districts. Low-lying areas in Hooghly, Howrah, and Paschim Medinipur reported rising waters, forcing hasty evacuations and dampening the post-festival spirit just as idol immersions peaked on Thursday - the last day of Durga Puja..
"This reckless act is nothing short of an attempt to inflict misery during our sacred festivities," Banerjee wrote in her post, framing the release as a "disaster manufactured by the DVC." She lambasted the corporation's "unilateral action" as "shameful and absolutely unacceptable," emphasising how it, unannounced, endangered "millions of lives in Bengal." Drawing a stark parallel to Durga Puja's themes of righteousness prevailing over malice, the chief minister declared, "Let me be clear: I will not allow anyone to carry out a Bisarjan of Bengal. Every conspiracy against our people will be resisted with full force. Truth will prevail over deceit and good will triumph over evil."
The outburst echoes a long-simmering feud between the Trinamool Congress-led state government and the DVC, a joint venture under the Union power ministry that manages the Damodar River basin spanning West Bengal and Jharkhand. Established in 1948 to tame the "sorrow of Bengal" through flood control and irrigation, the DVC has instead become a flashpoint for accusations of neglect and partisanship. Banerjee's administration has repeatedly charged the corporation with prioritising upstream Jharkhand's needs, often at Bengal's expense - by dumping excess monsoon runoff without coordination, exacerbating seasonal deluges in the deltaic plains. The Chief Minister on multiple occasions have also accused DVC of not doing necessary dredging work that can increase the capacity to hold water.
This is hardly the first such clash. In August 2025, Banerjee publicly branded the DVC "anti-Bengal" after an 11-fold surge in water outflows from Maithon and Panchet dams, which she claimed flooded over a dozen districts and displaced thousands during peak rains. "The huge increase in water releases this year to flood Bengal is deeply disturbing and shocking. I detect deep conspiracy in this!" she posted then, mirroring Friday's rhetoric. Earlier, in July 2025, she spotlighted a 30-fold jump in discharges compared to 2023, blaming it for "man-made" inundations in Ghatal and Garhbeta blocks of Paschim Medinipur - areas still reeling from this week's alert.
In response, DVC officials and the Centre have consistently defended the moves as standard protocol, governed by the Damodar Valley Reservoir Regulation Committee (DVRRC), which includes Bengal representatives. A Union power ministry statement from September 2024 dismissed the allegations, asserting that releases followed "all procedures" to avert upstream breaches, and pointed to erratic monsoons as the root cause. Yet, Banerjee has countered that dredging lapses at key barrages like Farakka, under central purview, have slashed storage capacities, forcing reactive spills that burden Bengal disproportionately.
Friday's episode, coming mere hours after idol immersions, has reignited fears for floods, almost a week after Kolkata witnessed the worst water logging due to cloudburst on September 23. With the India Meteorological Department forecasting more showers through the weekend due to a lingering low-pressure trough, districts like Purba Bardhaman and Birbhum braced for overflow from the Damodar and its tributaries. State disaster teams mobilised boats and relief kits. All the district magistrates have been alerted by the state government.
What Mamata Banerjee posted on ‘X’
“Bijoya Dashami marks the close of Durga Puja — a time for joy, cheer and renewed hope. Yet instead of allowing the people of West Bengal to conclude the festival in peace, the DVC released 65,000 cusecs of water without any prior notice to the State. This reckless act is nothing short of an attempt to inflict misery during our sacred festivities.
Such unilateral action is shameful and absolutely unacceptable. By releasing water without intimation, the DVC has placed millions of lives in Bengal in immediate peril. This is not a natural calamity, it is a disaster manufactured by the DVC.
Let me be clear: I will not allow anyone to carry out a Bisarjan of Bengal. Every conspiracy against our people will be resisted with full force. Truth will prevail over deceit and good will triumph over evil.
Joy Maa Durga!”
