After series of Jharkhand CM Hemant-WB CM Mamata Banerjee talks, 20 hours of border stalemate ends

DHANBAD/ RANCHI: A 20-hour logjam on the West Bengal-Jharkhand border ended on Friday after Bengal lifted a blockade and allowed thousands of trucks to cross over in four districts.

Thousands of trucks were stranded in Ranchi, Dumka, East Singhbhum and Dhanbad districts after entry of all commercial vehicles from Jharkhand was banned hours after Bengal govt blamed DVC and Jharkhand for releasing water into their territory that eventually caused widespread flooding.

West Bengal lifted the blockade of commercial vehicles around 6:30 pm on Friday after officials of both states reached an agreement.

"The stalemate has ended and commercial vehicle movement into West Bengal has begun from all the inter-state borders, including Jamshedpur and Dhanbad," home secretary Vandana Dadel told TOI.

Govt sources said the deadlock broke after Jharkhand CM Hemant and his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee had a series of telephonic discussions.

Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee claimed that the "man-made" floods which swept through various districts of Bengal were a result of several reservoirs in Jharkhand releasing huge quantities of water in the past 72 hours.

After Bengal police stopped allowing trucks and commercial vehicles from Jharkhand at the Dhanbad-West Burdwan border in Kulti on Thursday, JMM said it was a move made in haste and was unreasonable.

'If J'khand seals border, Bengal will be cut off'
JMM said the water levels in Jharkhand's reservoirs were nearing the danger mark due to the heavy rain and DVC releasing water from Maithon and Panchet Dams was done after a tripartite decision involving DVC and officials from the irrigation departments of Jharkhand and West Bengal.

As queues of trucks at the interstate borders extended up to several kilometres and caused traffic snarls, BJP questioned the rationale behind the Bengal govt's move and claimed that CM Mamata Banerjee was going through a rough mental phase at the moment. The interstate border in Dhanbad was the worst hit after the stranded trucks stretched up to 20 km.

"Jharkhand will not bow down to any pressure. If Jharkhand seals its border, West Bengal will be cut off from the entire north and west India," JMM spokesman Supriyo Bhattacharya said.

Purulia district of Bengal, which shares its borders with Ranchi district, closed its borders for commercial vehicles from Friday morning. Trucks were stranded at the Dumka-Birbhum border and Baharagora-Kharagpur borders on Friday, officials said.

"Purulia district has sealed the inter-state borders at Muri (nearly 60 kilometres from the state capital) since 8:30 am. No trucks are being allowed to cross over and we do not know the reason for this move," Renu Bala, the block development officer of Silli, said. Witnesses claimed the queue of trucks stretched as far as 3 km in Muri.

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is BJP's co-election in charge for Jharkhand, said the flood situation in Bengal was due to the failure of the Banerjee govt.

"I am surprised to see Mamata di, instead of venting her anger against her officials, is taking it out on the people of Jharkhand. She is out to teach a lesson to the people of Jharkhand by sealing the borders, but the CM of Jharkhand is silent on the matter," Sarma, who attended Amit Shah's rally in Sahibganj district, posted on X.

JMM general secretary Bhattacharya said didi's (Mamata Banerjee) mental condition is not right at present due to some events which recently happened in her state.