Raju Bista urges CM to notify Hill tragedy as 'disaster'

SNS, Siliguri, 15 October 2025 :  At a time when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has appealed to citizens to contribute to a public disaster relief fund for rebuilding flood- and landslide-hit North Bengal, Darjeeling MP Raju Bista has raised serious questions about the state's handling of central disaster relief funds and its refusal to officially declare the calamity as a "disaster."

"It is good that the Chief Minister is visiting some of the impacted areas," Bista said. "I hope that after seeing the devastation first-hand, she will be convinced to officially notify the calamity that has hit our region as a 'disaster.'"

Calling the current situation "absolutely illogical," the MP added, "Despite the scale of destruction across the Darjeeling Hills, Terai, and Dooars, the Chief Minister and the Government of West Bengal have, so far, refused to notify the tragedy as a disaster. Without that notification, the state cannot access central assistance under the Disaster Management Act, 2005."

Bista pointed out that the 15th Finance Commission has already allocated Rs 5,900 crore to West Bengal as the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for the 2021-2026 period—Rs 4,470 crore of which comes from the Centre and Rs 1,490 crore from the state. "For the current financial year, 2025-26 alone, the state has a total SDRF allocation of Rs 1,311.20 crore—Rs 983 crore contributed by the Centre and Rs 328 crore by the state," he said, sharing official figures.

"People in our region have been suffering massive losses since 2023," Bista said. "Yet, there is no clear account of how this Rs 5,900 crore SDRF allocation has been utilized."

Referring to the Chief Minister's announcement of Rs 5 lakh compensation for the deceased and Rs 1.2 lakh for damaged homes, Bista remarked that even after accounting for all rehabilitation and housing assistance, "the total relief expenditure would barely cross Rs 10 crore."

"If the government were to use just 10 percent of the SDRF allocation for 2025-26, nearly Rs 130 crore could be mobilized immediately to rebuild homes, restore livelihoods, and repair damaged infrastructure," he said.

By refusing to notify the calamity as a "disaster," Bista alleged, "the state government is preventing the release of central funds and other critical resources that are urgently needed. This is nothing short of administrative negligence."

The Darjeeling MP also criticized the functioning of the Disaster Management and Civil Defence Department of West Bengal, claiming that despite an allocation of Rs 3,279 crore for FY 2025-26, there is no visible mitigation effort in North Bengal. "In our region, there is zero disaster preparedness. Even if 10 percent of the department's budget were used for mitigation and response, around Rs 327 crore could have been deployed immediately," Bista said. "But it seems that the funds and budget allocated for disaster management have vanished altogether."

Bista appealed to the state government to act with "sensitivity and urgency," recognizing the scale of the calamity that has devastated the Darjeeling Hills, Terai, and Dooars. "I have always maintained that this tragedy should not be politicized," he said. "But by refusing to notify it as a disaster, the government is denying thousands of affected citizens their rightful access to timely and adequate assistance."