Minister for Water Resource Bharat Chandra Narah has totally failed to solve the erosion and flood problems of Lakhimpur district as well as in the State because of his imprudent and reluctant attitude towards the long standing problems said Bandhuram Pawegam, president of Mishing Bane Khebang.

Sources said that the river island of Majuli which lies on the other side faces a threat of being submerged by river waters of the Brahmaputra in case the embankment is breached. "Majuli, which has considerably decreased in size due to large scale erosion faces threat of extinction if flooding and erosion continue unabated,' the source added. "The Centre and State may be pumping crores into various anti-erosion projects in Majuli every year but all these are being literally washed away by the mighty Brahmaputra,' the source said.

MIRZA

KALGACHIA

JONAI

Around 29,000 people living along the banks of Brahmaputra, Jamuna and Padma rivers will be rendered homeless by next one year due to riverbank erosion, a research organisation working with river and water resources forecast yesterday. A study report of the Center for Environment and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS) also said 2,840 hectares of land, 450 hectares of settlement, 150 metre of embankment, 1,860 metres of district road, 490 metres of upazila road and 3,750 metres of rural road are vulnerable to erosion along the three rivers.

With untimely swelling of Jamuna River during the last several days, massive erosion along its western bank in Sirajganj district has devoured 200 homesteads and over 100 acres of croplands in 22 villages of five upazilas in the district. The affected upazilas are Kazipur, Sirajganj Sadar, Belkuchi, Chowhali and Shahzadpur. Meghai, Maizbari, Natuarpara, Shuvogachha, Simantabazaar and Dhekuria in Kazipur upazila, Kaizury, Gudhibari, Porzona, Monakosha and Datpara in Shahzadpur upazila and Khaskawlia, Umorpur, Jalalpur and Enayetpur in Chowhali upazila are worst affected areas.

KRISHNAGAR Less than a month before the panchayat elections begin, the Nabadwip block Trinamul Congress has decided to focus on the issue of erosion along the banks of the Ganga. To register their outrage against the state's inaction in checking river erosion, the Nabadwip Trinamul Congress blocked Nabadwip road on Sunday morning and also stopped the Shantipur-Nabadwip toy train at Maheshganj near Nabadwip.