Bengal government plea to Election Commission to allow building homes despite poll code

Sunday’s tornado in parts of Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar districts, sources said, has left around 6,000 homeless in these three districts. While some are living in relief camps, others are spending nights in makeshift tents in their villages

A house damaged by Sunday’s storm at Barnish in Mainaguri block, Jalpaiguri.: Biplab Basak

TT, Jalpaiguri, 04.04.24, Jalpaiguri: The Bengal government has written to the Election Commission of India (EC), seeking permission to start building houses to help those who turned homeless in the wake of Sunday’s tornado in parts of Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar districts.

“We have sent a letter to the EC, seeking permission to construct houses. People are homeless and the administration is providing them with relief,” chief minister Mamata Banerjee said on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Jalpaiguri district administration officials had said they found it difficult to construct houses for the affected families as the model code of conduct was in force.

“As the MCC is in force, all we can do is provide relief materials as disaster management. Construction of houses and handing over those to the families can amount to a violation of the code,” an official had said.

The storm, sources said, has left around 6,000 homeless in these three districts. While some are living in relief camps, others are spending nights in makeshift tents in their villages.

“We don’t know when we will get a house. Since Sunday, we have been spending nights under a tarpaulin. If it rains or a gale occurs, this shelter will not last,” said Suresh Roy, a villager of Barnish in Mainaguri who lost his home on Sunday.

Such tales of woe made the government react. “If we get the approval from the EC, we can start building homes for these people. Or else, we have to wait till the elections are over,” an official said.

In the storm-hit villages, the state power department has installed electric poles and fixed cables to resume power supply. The state PHE department is working to ensure that the villagers get adequate water in their areas.

In Jalpaiguri Sadar block, a section of affected residents demonstrated in Sukantanagar on Wednesday, alleging a shortage of relief materials.

As a team from the Sadar BDO office went with relief materials, the residents blocked a road and alleged that relief materials for only six families had reached there.

“Over 100 families have suffered losses in Sunday’s storm. Yet, relief was sent for only a handful of people,” shouted a resident.

While the state administration is weighing its options to help the affected villagers with houses, Trinamul leaders have continued to train their guns at the Narendra Modi government.

Abhishek Banerjee, the party’s national general secretary who was in Birbhum on Wednesday, targeted the Prime Minister.

“The Prime Minister should furnish the data to counter my claim that since 2021, the Centre has not provided funds under the 100 days' job and housing schemes (to Bengal). It is because of this halt in funds that families became homeless in the storm. If they had concrete houses, the damage would have been less,” he said.

Modi is scheduled to be in Cooch Behar on Thursday.