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Bengal flood claims 420 lives, situation marginally improves

Four hundred twenty persons have lost their lives while 217 others were reported missing in the floods that have affected over 14.8 million people in seven districts of West Bengal although the overall situation marginally improved with water levels in major rivers receding and reduced discharge from barrages on Monday.

Of the deaths, 182 were reported from Murshidabad, 178 from Birbhum, 28 from Burdwan, 15 from Nadia, 11 from Hooghly, five from Midnapore and one from North 24 Parganas district. Two hundred people were missing from Murshidabad, ten from Birbhum and seven from Nadia, official sources said.

The situation, however, remained critical in Nadia district and some parts of Murshidabad district, Deputy Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee and Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta told newspersons after making an aerial survey of these districts, besides Hooghly and Burdwan.

Stating that Beldanga, Sagardighi, Nawada, Domkal, Rejinagar and Bhagabangola areas of Murshidabad remained unfit for air dropping of food, they said Suti, being close to the international border, also suffered the same fate.

In adjoining Nadia district, the administration could reach some areas of Tehatta and Chapra while Nakashipara, Kaliganj, Nabadwip, Ranaghat and Chakdah remained inaccessible.

The Ganga, whose water level had risen appreciable in North 24 Parganas district, posed a serious threat to the Palta Water Works that supplies drinking water to Calcutta, city mayor Subrata Mukherjee said.

Emergency measures had been taken and officials of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation have rushed to Palta, he said.

Chief Minister Jyoti Basu on Monday donated a day's salary to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund and also appealed to people to show similar a gesture in aid of the millions marooned by floods in eight districts in the state.

Basu, who received such donations from various organisations and people at his office at the state secretariat, said he was getting a good response from a cross-section of people in society.

The ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) party also appealed to people asking them to donate a day's salary in aid of the flood-affected people.

The party's state secretary and politburo member Anil Biswas and CPI-M leader and Left Front chairman Sailen Dasgupta donated Rs 200,000 to the CM's Relief Fund and handed over the cheque to Basu in his chamber.

Basu's cabinet colleague and Agriculture Marketing Minister Biren Moitra also made a donation in his personal capacity.

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