Siliguri (WB), Sep 8 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday said his government would make all efforts to protect the people of the hilly region from natural disasters, as the recent Nepal flash floods brought back into focus the fragility of the Himalayan ecology.
At an administrative meeting at ‘Uttarkanya’, the branch secretariat of the state government here, the chief minister also said strict action would be taken against anybody allegedly involved in corruption in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA).
The state government has constituted a one-member judicial commission to inquire into allegations of institutional corruption and financial irregularities across various departments and agencies during the TMC regime.
The commission, headed by retired Calcutta High Court judge Biswajit Basu, will examine corruption allegations relating to several sectors, including education, food and supplies, disaster relief, municipal and panchayat bodies, housing, fisheries, industries, public works, land administration and the GTA.
At the meeting held virtually, after inclement weather forced Adhikari, en route to Kalimpong, to return to Siliguri, he said, “We will conduct a thorough investigation into the GTA scam. The money looted will be recovered, and those involved will be arrested.” “Following the Nepal tragedy, the Bengal government’s priority is to protect people in the hills. We will do everything for the development of the hills,” he said.
The chief minister’s visit to Kalimpong was aimed at reviewing disaster preparedness and the administration’s response mechanisms in the region. He was joined by the state’s Tourism Minister Sankar Ghosh and Water Resources Minister Nisith Pramanik.
The flash flood in Nepal, triggered by a glacial collapse near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26, left a trail of destruction with hundreds of people dead and scores missing. PTI SCH NSD
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