Written by Harikishan SharmaNew Delhi | October 7, 2025 01:58 PM IST 3 min readMamata Banerjee accused the Centre of ignoring her call to set up an Indo-Bhutan River CommissionThe Centre has released Rs 1,290 crore to West Bengal under the Flood Management and Border Areas Programme (FMBAP) so far, the Union Jal Shakti Ministry said Tuesday, as it refuted charges levelled by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the wake of floods in Darjeeling.On Monday, Mamata Banerjee accused the Centre of ignoring her call to set up an Indo-Bhutan River Commission, and warned that “North Bengal would continue to bear the consequences” of recurrent floods without it. Her comments came a day after heavy rain wreaked havoc in large parts of North Bengal, leaving 30 dead and several missing across the region.In a post on X, the Jal Shakti Ministry quoted the West Bengal Chief Minister. “I had written to the Prime Minister urging the formation of an Indo-Bhutan River Commission, warning that without it, North Bengal would continue to bear the consequences. Yet, I have not received any response. The Centre provides no funds for flood management and has even halted the Ganga Action Plan for cleaning the river. This is the level of discrimination being meted out to Bengal,” the Union ministry cited the Bengal chief minister as saying.Story continues below this adResponding to this, the Union ministry said the Centre is “already engaged” with the Government of Bhutan regarding problems related to river erosion, deposition of silt and debris on the river bed, as well as the problem of flash floods in West Bengal on trans-border rivers between India and Bhutan.“India-Bhutan Joint Groups/Teams between the two countries, namely Joint Group of Experts (JGE), Joint Technical Team (JTT) and Joint Experts Team (JET), are functional, wherein officials of the State Govt of Bengal are members. Recently 11th JGE meeting held at Paro (Bhutan) took up eight additional rivers entering West Bengal from Bhutan, namely, viz. HashimaraJhora, Jogikhola, Rokia, Dhawal Jhora, Gabur Basra, GaburJyoti, Pana and Raidak (l&ll) to carry out a joint study related to erosion and sedimentation problems on these rivers,” the ministry said.“Govt of West Bengal has been asked to carry out the detailed study on the aforesaid to be presented during the next JTT meeting, scheduled during this year. In addition, strengthening of the hydrological observation network in Bhutan for improvement in flood forecasting on trans-border rivers on the Indian side is also being worked out,” it said.The Jal Shakti Ministry also refuted charges levelled by Banerjee regarding the Centre’s failure to provide funds for flood management.Story continues below this ad“Regarding flood management projects, no funding proposal related to these projects is pending with the Central Government. Central Govt. has released Rs. 1290 Crore to Govt. of West Bengal under Flood Management and Border Areas Programme so far,” the ministry said.Under the Ganga Action Plan and Namame Gange Project, a total of 62 projects and interventions worth ₹5,648.52 crore have been undertaken in the state of West Bengal. The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has sanctioned a total of 31 sewerage infrastructure projects, 30 ghats and crematoria projects in the state. Besides, a large single project for river rejuvenation in West Bengal, the rejuvenation of Tolly Nullah in Kolkata has been sanctioned,” it said.Harikishan Sharma, Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express' National Bureau, specializes in reporting on governance, policy, and data. He covers the Prime Minister’s Office and pivotal central ministries, such as the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Ministry of Cooperation, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ministry of Rural Development, and Ministry of Jal Shakti. His work primarily revolves around reporting and policy analysis. In addition to this, he authors a weekly column titled "STATE-ISTICALLY SPEAKING," which is prominently featured on The Indian Express website. In this column, he immerses readers in narratives deeply rooted in socio-economic, political, and electoral data, providing insightful perspectives on these critical aspects of governance and society. ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd