Ghatal Master Plan gets Rs 1,200 crore to end recurring floods in Medinipur

30 September 2026

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced an allocation of Rs 1,200 crore for the Ghatal Master Plan in the current financial year. The flood control project is estimated to cost about Rs 1,500 crore in all, shared equally between the Centre and the state. It covers 11 blocks and five municipalities across Purba and Paschim Medinipur, an area of 1,659 sq km, spanning five assembly and three Lok Sabha constituencies. Excess water is to be channelled through canals and rivers into the Rupnarayan, the main drainage outlet. The plan was first drawn up in the 1970s at an estimated Rs 50 crore and had not been executed for about 50 years. The Chief Minister said work should be carried out on a war footing after Durga Puja and completed by June next year, before the monsoon begins.