West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Bannerjee on Tuesday slammed Centre over the ongoing Joshimath crisis and flagged a similar threat in Bengal's Raniganj.
"Why weren't arrangements made (in Joshimath) earlier? We're facing the same situation in Raniganj and we are fighting with Centre for funds. There's the same problem by Coal India in Raniganj. 30,000 people will be affected. The government should work on war-footing in Joshimath," she said.
Banerjee said the Raniganj coal belt in West Bengal's Paschim Bardhaman district might also face a fate similar to that of Joshimath as the area is also subsidence-prone.
Describing the situation in calamity-hit Joshimath as "very dangerous", she said the residents of the tiny hill town in Uttarakhand were not responsible for the disaster and the Centre must take steps on a war-footing to protect people.
She stated the government should have taken steps much earlier as there were already predictions of land subsidence.
" It is the duty of the government to take care of the people if there is any disaster," Banerjee said at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata.
Banerjee was leaving for Alipurduar where she is scheduled to meet party leaders and hold meetings with government officials before leaving for poll-bound Meghalaya.
(With agencies input)
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